Living together for decades does not give unmarried couples the same inheritance rights as spouses or civil partners. Wilson Browne Solicitors explains what this can mean when a partner dies and why early legal advice may help prevent an already difficult situation becoming more complicated.
You may have shared a home for 20 or 30 years, built a life together and considered yourself husband and wife without the label. But when it comes to inheritance, the law does not necessarily see things the same way.
Recent proposal to strengthen the rights of cohabiting couples have brought the issue back into the spotlight. For now, however, there is still no “common law marriage” in England and Wales.
For the Wilson Browne Contentious Probate Team, disputes arising after someone dies are often far more complicated than simply asking, “who gets what?”. The Team regularly acts for people whose loved ones have passed away and now fear that they will lose their home and any sense of security they believed they had has gone.
An unmarried partner may discover they do not automatically inherit from an Estate in the same way as a spouse or civil partner. This can lead to difficult disputes between partners, children and other beneficiaries, particularly when there is no Will.
These disputes can be intensely emotional, particularly when family relationships can become strained. Early legal advice is essential to establish whether there is a genuine claim, what evidence you may need and what rights you have.
Wilson Browne’s Contentious Probate Team has experience advising beneficiaries, executors and family members involved in inheritance disputes, providing clear and practical advice when emotions are running high.
Because when it comes to inheritance, what you thought the law said and what it actually says can be two very different things.
If you are concerned about your inheritance rights or are involved in a dispute following someone’s death, contact Wilson Browne Solicitors’ Contentious Probate Team for advice.
