My father passed away in October of 2008. There was no will, so based on my understanding of Texas law, my step mother has a life estate in the property. I have a few questions regarding the life estate.
1. What are the responsibilities of a life tenant? In other words, how much of the payment is she responsible for, what upkeep is she responsible for, etc.
2. What rights does a remainderman have if the life tenant does not fulfill their responsibilities? Foreclosure actions have begun on the property and there have been code violations from the city health inspector's office. Besides clearing everything up, is there anything I, as the remainderman, can do (assuming I can't prove abandonment? See below.)
3. Is there a way to prove that a life tenant has abandoned a property?
- I can see that all furniture in the master bedroom has been moved out, and have reason to believe all furniture is gone. Do I have the legal right to enter the property and see what all is gone?
- Power has been turned off.
- Water has been turned off.
Any advice in this matter would be greatly appreciated.

