Title: What happens to a deceased person's money and possessions?
Headings: What happens to a deceased person's money and possessions?
What happens to a deceased person's money and possessions?
Introduction
Money in the bank, insurance policies and savings
Bank accounts in joint names
Credit union accounts
Occupational and personal pensions
The legal right share
Where a legal right share does not apply
Divorce, separation and desertion
Cohabiting partners
Rights of children under a will
The family or shared home
What happens when there is no will?

Content: You can leave some or all of your estate to your partner but this does not cancel out the legal rights of a spouse or civil partner if you were married before to someone else and did not get divorced or had your civil partnership dissolved. Rights of children under a will
Children do not have any absolute right to inherit any of their parent's estate if the parent has made a will. Children born inside or outside marriage and adopted children all have the same rights and there are no age restrictions. However, a child can apply to court if they feel that they have not been provided for. An application must be made within 6 months of the taking out of a Grant of Representation. The court then has to decide if the parent has failed in their duty to the child in accordance with the needs of that child. Each case is considered individually, but it is important to remember that the legal right share of the spouse cannot be reduced to give the child a greater share of the estate. It can, however, reduce the entitlement of a civil partner. The family or shared home
The surviving spouse or civil partner may ask to keep the family or shared home instead of their legal right share, although if the house is worth more than the legal right share, the spouse or civil partner may have to pay the difference into the deceased's estate. A court may decide that this sum does not have to be paid if it would cause undue hardship
What happens when there is no will?