If you die without having made a Will you are deemed in law to have died intestate. This means that the law decides who your estate will pass to. If you are married this will be your spouse, but only if there are no children of the marriage. If you have children then the spouse takes 50% of the estate entirely and then has a life interest in the remaining 50% - with the rest of the estate passing to any surviving children.

If you are not married, but living with someone as co-habitees, then your estate will not pass automatically to your co-habitee. It will pass to your blood relations – dependant upon who survives you.

By making a Will you can decide who will be responsible for taking care of your estate when you pass away and decide who your estate will pass to.