- 1). Locate the executor or administrator of the estate. Check with the probate court in the county where the deceased resided. The court clerk can do the search of the decease's name to see if any documents went through probate that matches the name. If it didn't go through probate, check old newspaper obituaries to find the names of surviving relatives. Many times the executor of the will is one of the surviving relatives.
- 2). Open a word processing program, such as Microsoft Word or WordPerfect, to draft the letter.
- 3). Address the letter to the "Estate of (decease's full name)" to inform the reader that the letter is pertaining to the decease's estate and not to them personally. Enter in the executor's full contact information. Skip a line and enter in the current date. Press the "Enter" twice to skip a line. Type in your full contact information.
- 4). Press "Enter" twice to skip another line and add a subject line for the purpose of the letter. For instance, "RE: Notice of Intent to Sue." If there is an account number tied to the debt, add it under the subject line.
- 5). Address the letter to the executor and skip a line. In the introductory paragraph, type in a formal warning that the letter is the final step before filing a lawsuit.
- 6). Give full details about the debt you are trying to collect in the second paragraph. Include when it occurred, the full amount and the amount of any interest owed. Also state all the attempts you've made to collect the debt previously. Use a simple statement, such as; "Several attempts have been made to collect my money in the past few months."
- 7). Type in the conclusion paragraph. Inform them of the time frame they have to resolve the debt before court action. For example, "If you wish to resolve this matter without court action, you have thirty (30) days to reply to this letter." Give them a phone number to contact you. Close the letter by reiterating your threat of a lawsuit. Type in a closing and press the "Enter" key four times. Type in your name.
- 8). Print out the letter and sign it in the empty space between the closing and your typed name.
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