Wills & Probate

A person who dies without a will is said to have dies ‘intestate’. If you die intestate, this means your estate, or everything that you own, is distributed in accordance with the law by an administrator. To do this, the administrator needs permission in the form of a Grant of Representation. When a person dies without a will or when their will is invalid, this Grant is issued as Letters of Administration by the Probate Office or the District Probate Registry for the area in which the person lived at the time of death.

Rules: Distribution of your estate when you die intestate or have not made a valid will

The legal rules governing the distribution of your property apply:
– When you have not made a will
– When the will has been denied probate because it has not been made properly or a challenge to it has been successful
– When the will does not completely deal with all you possessions

The estate is distributed in a number of ways depending if you are survived by:
– a spouse but no children then your spouse gets the entire estate
– a spouse with children your spouse gets two-thirds of your estate and the remaining one-third is divided equally among your children and if any of your children has predeceased that share goes to his/her children
– parents but no spouse or children the estate is divided equally between your parents or one if the other predeceased
– children but no spouse, brothers and sisters or nieces and nephews only estate is shared equally among whichever group.

The requirements for a valid will
– It must be in writing.
– You must be over 18 years of have been married.
– Your must be of sound mind.
– You must sign or mark the will and acknowledge this in the presence of two witnesses.
– The two witnesses must sign the will in your presence.
– The two witnesses cannot be people who will gain from the will and they must be present with you at the same time. The witness’s spouses cannot gain from the will.
– Your witnesses must see you sign the will but they do not have to see what is written.
– The signature or mark must be at the end of the will.

The format of the will
– Your name and address
– A statement that says you revoke all earlier wills e.g. “I hereby revoke all former wills and testamentary instruments made by me and declare this to be my last will and testament”.
– A section of your will that appoints one or more executors to carry out your wishes and their names and addresses
– A residuary clause that sets out how property not effectively dealt with in the will should be distributed.
– Your will should be dated and signed by you and your witnesses.

What if the testator is unable to sign or make a mark?
If you are unable to sign your will due to ill-health or illiteracy, it is acceptable for you to sign your will by means of a mark. If this is not possible you may direct an agent or representative to sign your will for you in your and your witnesses’ presence.

The sound mind requirement
In order to make a valid will, you must not only set out your wishes in a written and witnessed document, but you must also have, in the eyes of the law, the mental capacity to do so. Your solicitor may require you to attend at your general practitioner prior to making your will if there is any doubt as regards your mental capacity. If you suffer from a mental disorder or you suffer from any other condition which may affect your capacity you may require a medical assessment on the day that you make your will.

Changing or revoking your will
To do this you and your witnesses must sign or initial the will in the margin of the page beside the changes. You can also change your will in the form of a memorandum or written note that is signed by you and your witnesses.

Rights of Spouse
If you have left a will, and your spouse has never renounced or given up his/her rights to your estate, then the spouse is entitle to what is called a “legal right share” of your estate. This is one-half of your estate if you do not have children and one-third if you do. Any executor is obliged to grant this share where applicable. You can make a bequest in your will that increases you spouse’s legal rights share but you must specify that this gift is meant to be in addition to his/her legal right share and not part of the share and not an extra element. Your spouse can choose to take either the assets specified under the will or his/her legal right share.

Rights of children under a will
Children do not have any absolute right to inherit their parent’s estate if the parent has made a will. A child may make an application to court if he/she feels that they have not been adequately provided for.

The family home
The surviving spouse may require that the family home be given to him/her in satisfaction of his/her legal right share, if however the house is worth more than the legal right share the spouse may have to pay the difference into the estate.

Gifts that fail
– If your will states that you are leaving an asset to someone and you no longer have the asset or the asset no longer exits
– If you leave a gift to a person who is a witness to your will
– If the gift is clearly identified in you will or it does not conform to its description in the will
– A gift lapses or will no longer apply if a beneficiary dies before the disposer or person who makes the will. If this occurs or the beneficiary refuses to accept the gift, the gift goes back to your residuary clause.

How wills are interpreted
If there is a disagreement, it must be settled in court who will give effect to the testator’s wishes as expressed in the will which are taken from reading the will as a whole.

Status of wills as public documents
After probate has been taken out on a person’s will, that will then becomes a public document and an copy can be obtained by anyone from the Probate Office or relevant District Probate Registry.

Joint Bank Accounts
This is a valid way of deciding how assets are to be distributed in your own life time, but making a will can eliminate potential disputes. With joint bank accounts it is presumed that one party will be fully entitled to the money in the account when the other party dies. Disputes may arise in particular where you have a situation whereby someone opens a joint bank account with a relevant or friend so that they can manage their finances for them.

The decision is such a case will depend on the intention of the person involved, the amount each lodged and the terms of their contract with the bank. It is advisable for people with joint accounts to make clear in their contract with their bank or in their will what exactly their intentions are for the money in such accounts.