If the person died without a Willthey died intestate,

If the person died without a Will then they are deemed to have died intestate, this is when the Letters of Administration application is required. If the person that died did make a Will then it is a Grant of Probate that needs to be applied for.

There are one or two exceptions to this rule, for example if the person died with a will but the Executors have passed away then any probate application would be for a Grant of Letters of Administration with Will Annexed. If the chain of representation is broken, a Grant De Bonis Non may be required instead.

The laws of intestacy govern who becomes the administrator and who the beneficiaries are. Relatives are placed in a strict order, and a common-law partner has no automatic right to inherit. See Who Applies and the Rules of Intestacy.

A Deed of Variation may be all that is required to distribute an estate in a different way, providing everyone affected agrees. Fill in our Online Probate Application and we will review the family tree, then come back with a fixed fee.