Personal Injury
Pearson Legal
Full Credential Description
META DESCRIPTION: Our Inheritance Dispute Solicitors successfully acted for an unmarried partner when the Intestacy Rules failed to make provisions. Inheritance Act Claim for unmarried partners Inheritance Act Claim for unmarried partners When a person does not leave a Will, only their married or civil partners inherit under the Intestacy Rules depending on the value of the estate. For unmarried couples and cohabitees, if your partner dies Intestate (that is without leaving a will), you could find yourself in a position where you are not entitled to inherit from your partner’s Estate. What can I do if my partner did not leave a Will? In a case conducted by our Inheritance and Will Disputes Department, our client lived with her partner (“the Deceased”) for over 21 years, when he unexpectedly passed away without making a Will. At the time of his death, the Deceased remained legally married to his ‘wife’ despite having been separated from her for over 25 years and them living separate lives. The Deceased's actions, in not leaving a Will, meant that no provision was made for our client from the Deceased’s estate. Although our client was married to the Deceased under Islamic Law, this is not recognised by the UK courts and she was classed as the Deceased’s unmarried partner/cohabitee. When a person does not leave a Will, the Intestacy Rules decide how the Deceased’s estate is to be distributed. In this case, the Intestacy Rules provided that the Deceased’s estate passed to his ‘wife’ due to the fact that, although they were separated, they were not divorced, and further as a consequence of the Deceased not having made a Will. “We have seen a rise in cohabitee/dependant claims from unmarried partners under the Inheritance Act due to a decline in marriage and blended families,” said , Paralegal in the Inheritance and Will Disputes Department at Pearson Solicitors.