intestacy rules Archives | Brindley Twist Tafft & James https://www.bttj.com/testimonial/diane-47/ BTTJ are an expert solicitor and lawyer firm based in Coventry, UK. Our services include family law, commercial property & personal injury. Mon, 30 Jun 2025 13:15:34 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.3 https://www.bttj.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/cropped-BTTJ-Facebook-Sq-32x32.jpg intestacy rules Archives | Brindley Twist Tafft & James https://www.bttj.com/testimonial/diane-47/ 32 32 New member of our Private Client team https://www.bttj.com/2025/06/30/new-member-of-our-private-client-team-4/ https://www.bttj.com/2025/06/30/new-member-of-our-private-client-team-4/#respond Mon, 30 Jun 2025 13:15:27 +0000 https://www.bttj.com/?p=14192 Rachel specialises with dealing with the administration of estates. She has experience in dealing with a variety of estates and she can deal with problems such as missing wills and missing beneficiaries. She can also assist with intestacies (where a person dies without having made a will).

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]]> We are very pleased to welcome a new member of our Private Client team.

Rachel Collett joined us last week and is based in our Coventry office.

Prior to starting with us, Rachel has worked at large commercial law firms in Leamington Spa and Stratford Upon Avon.

Rachel qualified as a Chartered Legal Executive in 2011. She has been working in law since 2003 and originally practised conveyancing but in 2008 decided that she wanted to be a private client lawyer and has specialised in this area since then.

Rachel specialises with dealing with the administration of estates. She has experience in dealing with a variety of estates and she can deal with problems such as missing wills and missing beneficiaries. She can also assist with intestacies (where a person dies without having made a will).

Being a farmer’s daughter, she has a particular interest in agricultural estates and can deal with claims for Agricultural Property Relief and Business Relief.

She can advise beneficiaries on post death variations to the will and deeds of appointment from trusts contained in the will.

A warm welcome to the firm Rachel, from all at BTTJ!

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]]> https://www.bttj.com/2025/06/30/new-member-of-our-private-client-team-4/feed/ 0 14192 Cohabiting Couples – what rights do they have when one of them dies? https://www.bttj.com/2021/08/26/cohabiting-couples-what-rights-do-they-have-when-one-of-them-dies/ https://www.bttj.com/2021/08/26/cohabiting-couples-what-rights-do-they-have-when-one-of-them-dies/#respond Thu, 26 Aug 2021 11:02:38 +0000 https://www.bttj.com/?p=9487 A common misconception for partners who are not married or in a civil partnership, is that they have automatic rights to each other’s assets should one of them die.  Unfortunately, this is not always the case.  The only assets a partner would receive are jointly owned assets or assets given to them by a Will. […]

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]]> A common misconception for partners who are not married or in a civil partnership, is that they have automatic rights to each other’s assets should one of them die.  Unfortunately, this is not always the case.  The only assets a partner would receive are jointly owned assets or assets given to them by a Will.

If a partner dies without leaving a Will, then rules, called the intestacy rules, state who inherits their assets and there are no automatic rights for couples who are not married or in a civil partnership to inherit, regardless of the length of their relationship.  This could leave a partner in a difficult and uncertain situation.

The intestacy rules do not allow for modern families because as well as not providing for partners, they do not provide for stepchildren (only natural or adopted children).  Married or civil partners take priority (although they do not always receive everything), then children, parents, siblings then other relatives.  These are not always the people who you would wish to inherit your assets.   

Assets owned jointly, will usually pass automatically to the surviving owner regardless of the provisions of a Will or the intestacy rules, but only if the joint asset is owned as ‘joint tenants’.  Many do not realise that if you own a joint asset as ‘tenants in common’ then it will not automatically pass to the survivor and passes in accordance with a Will or the intestacy rules.

Whatever your circumstances, it is always important to take legal advice and complete a Will to make sure your loved ones are protected.  Please get in contact with our friendly Private Client Department who would be happy to talk you through the best advice to suit your circumstances.

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]]> https://www.bttj.com/2021/08/26/cohabiting-couples-what-rights-do-they-have-when-one-of-them-dies/feed/ 0 9487