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Making a Will and appointing executors is vital if you do not want your estate passing to your remaining blood line.įor further information, please contact Sara Hilliard F.C.I.L. A next of kin is a closest family member who can be contacted in case of any crisis. In the event of there being no Last Will and Testament then the next of kin for inheritance rights is established in accordance with a strict hierarchy of living relatives. the personal representative.Īlso, the next of kin does not automatically receive any inheritance rights. It is not the person with whom matters of the estate are discussed as these duties fall to the Executor of the Will or administrator if there is no Will i.e. They are also the person who is consulted about matters such as postmortems, organ and tissue donation. However, the next of kin is usually the person with whom funeral directors, coroners, police and other official organisations use as the primary point of contact to provide and request information. The role of ‘next of kin’ should also not be confused with that of a personal representative – the person whose job it is to find and distribute the deceased’s assets to the beneficiaries of the estate.īeing next of kin does not come with any legal rights and carries no official responsibilities in the event of someone’s death. Similarly, if you wish to give someone the legal authority to make decisions about your finances then you will need to make a Property & Financial Lasting Power of Attorney. If you wish to give someone the legal authority to make decisions about your health and welfare in the event that you lose mental capacity then you will need to make a Health & Welfare Lasting Power of Attorney.
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If you have not been chosen as a next of kin, it will usually be assumed to be a close blood relative, spouse or civil partner.īeing next of kin does not come with any legal rights and carries no official responsibilities to make decisions about care or treatment. Therefore, there is no reason that your partner shouldn’t be treated as your ‘next of kin’ despite the fact that you are not married. Institutions such as hospitals, care homes and other organisations allow anyone, over the age of 18, to be nominated as next of kin, whether they are a blood relative or not. In the United Kingdom, the term ‘next of kin’ has no legal definition in law and may not necessarily refer to blood relatives at all. Relying On The Concept Of ‘Next Of Kin’ – When Is It Enough? Next-of-kin definition A persons closest living relative, often entitled to inherit the personal property, and in some cases the real property, of the.