I inherited a property last fall from my dad, and I am really glad I didn’t need to navigate such a hostile situation in the middle of my grieving.

Yeah, I had one broker actually call and pretend that I'd agreed to bring an "executor's deed" to my hearing for my mother's probate (they get the court filings, which are public), and say that I need to be sure to have it in hand at the hearing, and some other garbage basically presenting herself as a legal expert - I reported her to the state bar as someone practicing law without a license and reported her to the state realtor's board, too.There are serious consequences for people using predatory techniques to prey on people who are grieving or aren't savvy about real estate deals or who are uneducated or seniors, etc. 

I drove over there and the grieving brothers were there cleaning out the place.  

Its "My tenant just died so I'll make the considerate decision to terminate the lease effective immediately and allow the family to grieve".As to the security deposit, yes, I agree, make it out to the estate.

Sorry to rain on your parade, but approaching someone during such a vulnerable time while they're grieving is like being a vulture. 

It must be hard thinking about this stuff and going through the grieving process. 

If you can be more empathic and perhaps reflect on how you and your family felt during a grieving or post-death period, you probably did not want I be bothered.

However what if instead the probate lawyer tells the family that if they want to sell the house he knows someone that can buy it quickly so the family can properly grieve instead of worrying about this big long drawn out process to sell the house. 

@Justin MummBesides giving the family time to grieve you can refer to the lease about non-payment.

He has 20 years to follow up and collect from them, and somehow that helps with the grieving process when I think about money lost on their tenancy :)Bottom line to date: yes, I've been able to collect - but it takes time, and lots of it.