10 Apr 2019
When a person dies without a valid will, the estate must be shared out according to the rules of intestacy meaning only certain people would inherit the estate.
Without a will in place, beneficiaries of your estate could receive less than you wish due to the intestacy provisions, as well as inheritance tax liabilities that could have been avoided had your position been reviewed at an earlier stage.
Even if you have a will in place, it should be reviewed on a regular basis due to changes in personal circumstances for example, if a marriage has occurred since your will was put into place, the will would become void (unless a clause was included in contemplation of the marriage).