Wills

Until now, lesbians and gay men have had no legal status if they lose their partner and if families decide to cut off the surviving partner.

Registering your partnership as a Civil Partnership will give you next-ofkin status and important tax protection.

When entering a Civil Partnership, it is very important to remember that a will made before a Civil Partnership is registered is no longer valid, unless the will was made specifically mentioning the Civil Partnership.

If you have entered a Civil Partnership and you die without a valid will, then the first £125,000 of your assets will go to your next-of-kin that is your surviving civil partner.

If you leave more than £125,000 and have children, then your partner will get £125,000 and a life interest in half of the remainder. Your children would get the rest. If you have no children but your parents are alive, your partner would get £200,000 and half of the excess amount. The rest would go to your parents. Brothers and sisters will only inherit what the parents would have received, if the parents are deceased. These figures, although currently fixed, are under review.

What is intestacy?

Intestacy means dying without having made a valid will. If you want your partner to be your sole heir, you must write this into your Will. If you don’t register with the Civil Partnership Act, your partner will be entitled to nothing.