Who gets what?

You make a Will so that YOU decide not just who is to inherit your assets but how much and at what age. If you have not made a Will then your relatives will inherit all that you owned whether or not you liked them.

Which relatives benefit and how much will they get?
That is laid down by the Law. In general terms, your relatives inherit in a set order, sometimes to the exclusion of those later in the list, sometimes, depending on how much you are worth or indeed which relative they are, they will share your assets with other relatives. There follows a general guide to the classes of Relatives in order of priority :-

1. The Deceased’s spouse
2. The Deceased’s children or their issue
3. The Deceased’s parents
4. The Deceased’s brothers and sisters of the whole blood and the issue of those who have predeceased
5. The Deceased’s uncles and aunts of the whole blood and the issue of those who have predeceased

If no blood relative of the right class can be found then all your hard-earned property goes to The State - in effect to the Government -whether or not you voted at all or whether you voted for an opposing party to the party in power.

The above list is not complete. For example, the Law provides for certain relatives of the half blood (i.e. step-children) to inherit.

Who decides when no Will has been made?
The Administrator does this, as well as dealing with your Estate. If your Relative has died Intestate and you think you could inherit, or that you could be the Administrator contact us for more information.

N.B. It is more complicated; costly in time (it could take years to find all the right relatives); and costly to your Estate (your Beneficiaries will receive less) if you do not make a Will

 

 
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