A will is designed to state who you are benefiting, rather than who you are not. However, it does allow you to specify those you want to include and therefore imply who you don’t want included. The Intestacy Rules that apply if you die without a will dictate where your estate will go. Even if you and your family would not intend it to go to certain people, if there is not a Will when you pass away then the law will dictate who your estate will go to and does so in ‘classes’ – e.g. all your children, all your parents, all your siblings. Therefore, if there is a particular family member that you would not want to benefit from you at all, then it is important to make sure that there is a Will in place that allows you to dictate who you do want it to go to. Due to other laws as well as the Intestacy Rules, certain people can also claim against your estate, including potentially ex-spouses and estranged family members.
