It is not surprising that most people find it quite difficult to
get around to making a Will. It can be hard to face up to one's
own mortality and often when people are considering making a Will
it is after somebody close has died. However, if you do not make a
Will then you lose control over what happens to your estate
following your death.
What happens if I die without a Will?
Where a person dies without having made a Will that person is
said to have died intestate and the law sets out in a prescribed
manner how their estate should be distributed called the Intestacy
Rules. The persons who may inherit under the rules of intestacy are
restricted to spouses or civil partners, children, grandchildren
and some other close relatives. Co-habitees or "common law
spouses", close friends, carers or charities cannot benefit
under these Intestacy Rules. Divorced spouses or former partners of
a civil partnership are also unable to inherit under the Intestacy
Rules, although
