From 1st February 2009, if a person dies ‘intestate’ (i.e. without a valid Will)
- If the deceased leaves a spouse and children, the spouse receives a statutory legacy of £250,000 (up from £125,000) plus personal chattels (personal belongings) and a life interest in one-half of the remainder of the Estate. The other half passes immediately to the children, with the other half going the same way when the spouse’s life interest ends.
- If the deceased leaves a spouse but no children (but other relatives), the spouse receives a statutory legacy of £450,000 (up from £200,000). Half of anything left over also goes to the spouse. The other half goes to the surviving relatives in this order:
- Parents
- Brothers or sisters or their children
- Half Brothers or sisters or their children
- Grandparents
- Uncles or aunts or their children
- Half uncles and aunts or their children
Although this is a significant increase, it is insufficient when you take into account inflation (in particular, house price inflation).