Sir Taxalot wrote:
I've never given it a huge amount of thought - it's something we have thought that we probably should get done at some point but never really get round to it.
What actually happens if I / we die without a will? I don't actually know.
Your estate gets divided in accordance with a set of rules (called intestacy rules). These rules will rarely reflect the wishes of the dead person.
My horror story I had a few years back: a chap was knocked off a bike and killed. He was living with his partner for 25 years but never married. They both had Wills drafted by a Will drafting company who weren’t solicitors. In those Will they apparently left everything to each other. The company kept the original Wills, they didn’t even have a copy or any paperwork from them. The company dissolved years ago and no one can trace them or what happened to the original Wills. His estate is treated as if he never had a Will. The house is in his name. His estate passed to his next surviving relative. The partner gets kicked out the house and can’t do sod all about it.