No Will? Unmarried Partners Inherit Nothing Under the Law
Posted on July 8, 2026
When the government launched its consultation on cohabiting couples' rights on 5 June 2026, it drew attention not just to what happens when a relationship ends — but to what can go wrong when a partner dies. Under England and Wales' current intestacy rules, an unmarried partner who dies without leaving a will passes nothing at all to their surviving partner. Not automatically, and not easily.
For a couple who may have shared a home, raised children, and built a life together over decades, this is a legal reality that many people simply do not know exists — until it is too late to do anything about it.