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Intestacy

What happens if you die without a Will?

If a person dies without a valid Will, he or she dies “intestate”. Some examples of situations where an intestacy may occur:

  • after making a valid Will (that has not been made in contemplation of marriage or divorce) a person divorces or marries;
  • the person never made a valid Will;
  • if the person making the Will is of unsound mind or mentally incapable at the time of making his or her Will; and
  • if the Will is damaged to the extent that it cannot be read or interpreted.
Distribution of estate on intestacy

If a person dies intestate, the intestacy legislation determines the distribution of that person’s estate.

In Western Australia, the governing legislation is the Administration Act 1903, which applies to both real estate and the personal estate of the deceased.

De facto partners of any sex now have inheritance rights under the Administration Act 1903 (WA). In order for this to apply you will need to establish that your relationship was a de facto relationship. If you lived as a de facto partner with the deceased for at least two years immediately before their death you are now entitled to share in the estate in certain circumstances.

In Western Australia, the estate of a person who dies intestate may be distributed between:

  • the deceased’s spouse (including a spouse, separated spouse and de facto partner);
  • the deceased’s children; and
  • in some cases, other relatives of the deceased (e.g. parents, siblings, grandchildren, etc).

Persons not entitled to benefit under the intestacy rules include the following.

  • relatives by marriage other than a spouse;
  • step-children; and
  • any person economically dependent upon the deceased who does not fall into one of the other relationships.

If there is no person entitled to an intestate property, his or her estate passes to the Crown (government).

If you would like to know more information, please contact the team at Lynn & Brown today.

Other Estate Planning & Deceased Estates Services

Certain persons, such as spouses, de facto partners, children, grandchildren…
The Executor is responsible for the proper finalisation of the expenses of the estate…
A written declaration whereby you appoint an Executor to administer your estate…
If through illness or accident, you lose the capacity to make decisions for yourself…

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Frequently Asked Questions

Every adult should have a Will. The whole idea of estate planning is to make sure your assets end up in the hands of the people you want to receive them.
Your ‘estate’ is the word used to describe all assets and liabilities in your sole name, or in which you have a distinct interest, when you die. Assets include items such as a car, house, money in your bank account, clothing, furniture, Refundable Accommodation Deposit, cash and jewellery.

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