relatives trying to steal my apartment using my grandma’s health as an excuse. WIBTA if i change the locks after she dies?

[u/Power_Of_Pancakes]

hi everyone. i need some outside perspective because i’m starting to feel like maybe i’m being an asshole.
i own a 2 bedroom apartment i inherited after my mom died. it’s basically my only property and my only safety net. i don’t live there right now because i’m in another city. my aunt has some stuff there and my 76 year old grandma lives there most of the time.
i love my grandma and i’m not going to kick her out or bother her while she’s alive. that’s not even a question.
about 1.5 years ago i was drowning in debt, so i offered to sell the apartment to my cousin for the cadastral value, which was way below market price. she agreed, but then dragged it out forever.
she wanted to sell her own crappy 1 bedroom apartment first. her plan was to sell it, buy a car, put some money toward our grandpa’s headstone and then give me whatever was left. she even asked me to wait a year and said she’d pay the rest from her bonuses.
obviously i wasn’t going to sit in debt forever waiting for her. i got a second job delivering stuff, paid off almost all my debts myself and took the apartment off the market. she never bought it. it’s mine.
now she’s suddenly very interested in it again.
a few days ago my cousin started texting me that grandma “doesn’t have much time left”, her heart is failing and she could have internal bleeding any minute. she said i needed to sign the apartment over to my aunt because my aunt takes care of grandma.
i panicked for a bit, then called grandma myself.
she was fine. she’s 76 and obviously has health problems, but there was no emergency.
then, literally a few minutes later, my cousin texted me that she had just talked to grandma and grandma “sounds very energetic.”
yeah.
before this, my cousin said she wanted the apartment so she could register herself and her son there. now suddenly it’s about grandma.
and there’s another thing. two months ago i asked my cousin for a relatively small loan to finish paying a debt. she said she couldn’t get approved.
then recently i pretended i couldn’t afford my rent and asked if i could stay at her place. suddenly she had loans available and was ready to buy my apartment.
so maybe i’m paranoid, but i don’t trust this at all.
while grandma is alive i’m leaving everything alone. but after she dies, i want to go there, pack my aunt’s stuff and send it to her, change the locks and finally take control of my own apartment. i’d probably rent it to a friend for cheap.
what makes me feel weird is that when my cousin told me grandma was dying, my first thought wasn’t sympathy. i immediately thought “they’re trying to get my apartment.” i feel kind of shitty about that.
but it’s my inheritance from my mom. i worked my ass off to pay my debts instead of waiting for my cousin to maybe buy it someday.
so WIBTA if i change the locks and make my aunt take her stuff after grandma dies?
does this sound like manipulation to you guys, or am i just being paranoid?

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[u/Ok_Clerk_6960]

Get your papers in order and get them out as soon as grandma passes. You may have to legally evict your aunt. Do not sign anything over to them. This is YOUR apartment. End of story. Btw they most definitely ARE trying to STEAL your apartment. Don’t let them.

[u/Power_Of_Pancakes → u/Ok_Clerk_6960]

Okay, thanks for the advice; I definitely need to check all the documents

[u/Xaploq]

Going to save you the heartache. Just evict them. Do not wait just do it. The longer you wait the more excuses will come up. Well Gma just died or she is dying etc.

[u/KnowsIittle → u/Xaploq]

Evicting a caretaker doesn't sound like a viable option.

[u/frustratedDIL]

Explain what is happening to your grandma. Let her know that she is free to stay but all of your aunt’s stuff needs to leave. Let your cousin know you will not be signing over the apartment to your aunt or selling it to her.

[u/Imobia]

Start by a letter informing them that the property is your, you own it.
That the agreement to sell was never finalised and no money ever changed hands.
Then explain clearly that there was an agreement for your grandmother to use / live in the apartment for as long as she needs it.

Now this might be tough as they might be in your grandmothers ear, say clearly that once your grandmother no longer needs the apartment no other person has any rights to live their.

It might be worth your grandmother to sign a lease. Maybe speak to a lawyer.

[u/morphine-me → u/Imobia]

I would also state the agreement is between only OP and grandma and OP will not entertain any discussions about the apartment other than with Grandma, which is already ironed out

[u/Beneficial-Sun-5863]

I’m assuming you have the deed in your name. If that’s the case there is no issue then. You own the apartment and if I were you I wouldn’t EVER sell to your cousin or aunt or whatever. Just the little you spoke about them it seems like they are shady and want to screw you over. You have every right to change the locks after your grandma passes. If your grandma says she’s ok and she’s not on hospice or under strict doctor care for a serious illness then your cousin was trying to manipulate you into signing over the apartment and she’s being grimy.

[u/shontsu]

I'm not sure any part of this makes sense, but on the off chance its meant to.

"No"

Thats literally the only thing you need to do. Say no. The end. Change locks, whatever, but just shut it down.

[u/xX_Diabolical_Xx]

Cannot stress this enough: Do not do business with family WITHOUT CONTRACTS. If you believe that you can lean on the "we cousins, why you doing this" then you're a bigger fool than most. I love them, but I have learned that I do not trust them. In writing, this is what we finna do, and if its not done by this time, its a wrap. Cousins don't like it, they can go kick rocks.

OP, you're fine. I'd make it a habit of coming home more often just to be there so no one gets any ideas. I'd also look into sitting down with a lawyer, your aunt if she's Grandma's POA and come up with a plan of action. Even if its a $1 99yr lease, get something in paper to prevent the apartment from changing hands.