Living together for 50 years, sharing everything and supporting each other through thick and thin does not automatically make someone your legal heir. Without marriage or a will, your partner may inherit nothing when you die.
A civil partnership (PACS) also does not automatically grant inheritance rights. If you want your civil partner to inherit from you, you must clearly state this intention in a will. Under certain conditions, such an inheritance can be tax-free.
Inheritance can also become complicated when children are involved. While it is possible to disinherit a partner under certain circumstances, children are always entitled to a compulsory share of an estate by law. This share cannot be taken away, even through a will.
There are also strict rules governing how a will must be drawn up, whether it is handwritten or prepared at a notary's office. A handwritten will must be written entirely by hand, dated and signed. Simply signing a printed document is not sufficient.
If you do not want default inheritance rules, family members or, in the worst-case scenario, disputes to determine what happens to your estate, it is best to make arrangements for your final wishes well in advance.
