A survey by the National Will Register showed that two-thirds of those aged 35-54 had not made a will, reported the Sunday Times.
One major issue is that unlike a legally married spouse, a cohabiting partner has no automatic rights under the intestacy rules and it will usually be the family of the deceased person rather than their partner who inherits. Complex rules for larger estates also mean that even for those who are married, the spouse can suffer because the rules require part of an estate to go into a life interest trust where they have no access to capital.