My father passed away very suddenly and he had no will. He did not own land or a house, but he did have a car. What do I have to do to legally take possession of the vehicle? Any help would be appreciated.
-- (Posted by RB on the Chat Room)

Generally speaking, an asset owned only by the deceased rather than as joint property with a surviving party, is a ‘probate asset.’ Such property must pass through probate so the court can decide who gets it—or the money from its sale. However, there are some exceptions. If there is a surviving spouse, there is a special provision of Massachusetts law that allows her to re-title a motor vehicle.

Also, in some cases where the decedent’s PROBATE ESTATE is worth less than $15,000 (not including the value of one car), and there is no will, a surviving family member who lives in Massachusetts (spouse, child, grandchild, parent, brother, sister, niece, nephew, aunt or uncle) can file a form for "voluntary administration" of the estate. This is a streamlined version of the probate process. At least thirty days after the death, the family member can complete and file the form, and about a week later the court will grant the authority to deal with that one asset (in this case, the car).