<prompt> Human: I am trying to remove all emotion from this question as my beloved father lies in the hospital. Being his only child, if he was to pass away could I organizedistribute his belongings?He does not have a living will, and rents alone. I am his only child, but I dont think we ever set up his Will. He is likely to have extensive medical bills. He also has a truck that was co-signed by another family member, what burden would that person receive?I have keys to his house, which I check on every week, If he was to pass would it be illegal to step foot in his property? He does not have a lot ofany real objects of value, but again things I grew up with, many heartfelt memories and mementos. Will there be a big pad lock on his door? Could I go into his home after he passes?  <response>: First, if your father dies without a will or trust, his property will be distributed per the intestate laws of his state. You should be able to find those rules online.Second, nobody is going to care about your Dads personal possessions unless there is something of significant value, like coins, cash, art, etc. If you are entitled to his personal items, I would just clean out his house, box up his stuff, and put it all in a safe place. Leave it boxed up until you are able to sort all of this out, but in the end, if the intestate laws list you as his sole heir, it would be HIGHLY unlikely that any creditor is going to want to send someone to take his stuff and hold a garage sale... they just arent set up for that and it would cost them more in time, money, and hassle than it is worth. But keep it boxed up until you figure out for sure where you stand.I wouldnt worry about entering his house if you are the sole heir. If there are any other heirs, either go in together or agree in advance on who will clean out the house. It is considered prudent for executorstrusteessurviving family to safeguard personal possessions until they can be distributed to the rightful heir. People do this all the time. Just check to insure you are the heir and coordinate it with any other heirs. Maintaining good communication with other heirs is crucial - even if theres nothing but a few personal items in the estate.You should get a basic reference so you understand the process. Heres one I bought a couple of years ago:I know everyone always says that you should consult a lawyer, and you may need to do that depending on the circumstances, but if you pay out of pocket for a lawyer you need to be aware that you may end up spending more than you inherit. I wouldnt do that. If your Dad has a checking account containing funds, you wont be able to access it without going through probate or a quicker process if the estate is small enough to avoid probate.Also, your Dads debts are not your debts. If he dies with creditors, and there isnt enough in his estate to cover his debts, theyre out of luck. You, personally, have absolutely no obligation to pay your Dads debts. Actually, you have no obligation to do ANYTHING after he dies. But youll want to wrap up his affairs as best you can.Good luck. 