• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Mendel Law Firm, L.P.

Attorneys & Counselors

Call Now: (281) 759-3213

  • FB
  • TW
  • IN
  • RSS
LP Payment button
  • Home
  • Our Firm
    • About Our Firm
    • About The American Academy
    • Advantages of Working With Our Firm
    • Attorney and Staff Profiles
    • Mission Statement
    • Multimedia
    • Published Books
    • The Academy Fellow Designation
  • Services
    • Asset Protection & Business Planning
    • Elder Law & Medicaid Services
      • Are You A Caregiver
      • Coping With Alzheimer’s
      • Guardianship & Conservatorship
      • Hospice Care
      • Emergency Medicaid & Nursing Home Planning
      • Medicaid Planning
      • Veteran’s Benefits
    • Estate and Gift Tax Figures
    • Estate Planning Services
    • Family-Owned Businesses & Farms
    • Financial Planning Assistance
    • Incapacity Planning
    • IRA & Retirement Planning
    • Legacy Planning
    • LGBTQ Estate Planning
    • Pet Planning
    • SECURE Act
    • Special Needs Planning
    • Trust Administration & Probate
  • Seminars
  • Testimonials
    • Client Testimonials
    • Representative Clients
    • Review Us
  • Resources
    • Areas We Serve
      • Baytown
      • Conroe
      • Galveston
      • Houston
      • Pasadena
      • Woodlands
      • West University Place
    • Elder Law Reports
    • Elder Law Resources
      • Galveston Elder Law
      • Houston Elder Law
      • Sugar Land Elder Law
      • West University Place Elder Law
      • Woodlands Elder Law
    • Estate Planning Resources
      • Estate Planning Checkup
      • Estate and Gift Tax Figures
      • Estate Planning Definitions
      • Estate Planning Reports
      • Incapacity Planning Definitions
      • Is Your Estate Plan Outdated?
      • Top Estate Planning Techniques
      • Top 10 Estate and Legacy Planning Techniques
    • Frequently Asked Questions
      • Asset Protection Planning
      • Avoidance Tax Planning
      • Avoiding Probate
      • Business Succession Planning
      • Charitable Gifting
      • Elder Law
      • Estate Planning
      • Frequently Asked Questions for Families Without an Estate Plan
      • IRA and Retirement Planning
      • Legacy Wealth Planning
      • LGBTQ Estate Planning
      • Living Trusts
      • Medicaid
      • Medicaid Planning
      • Nursing Home Planning
      • Pet Planning
      • Power of Attorney
      • Probate
      • Trust Administration
      • Trust Administration & Probate
      • Trusts
      • Veterans Benefits
      • Wills
    • LGBTQ Resources
    • Probate Resources
      • Houston Probate
      • Sugarland Probate
      • Woodlands Probate
      • West University Place Probate
    • Probate & Trust Administration Resources
      • Bereavement Resources
      • How to Know if You Need Extra Help With Your Grieving
      • Loss of a Loved One
      • The Mourner’s Bill of Rights
      • Things You Need To Do When a Loved One Passes Away With a Trust
      • Things You Need To Do When a Loved One Passes Away With a Will
      • Trust Administration & Probate Definitions
    • Special Needs Resources
    • Newsletters
  • Contact Us
  • BLOG
Home » BLOG » How Is Property Distributed Without a Will in Texas?

How Is Property Distributed Without a Will in Texas?

January 11, 2017 by Stephen A. Mendel, Estate Planning Attorney

How Is Property Distributed Without a Will in Texas?

You have likely been told that creating a comprehensive estate plan is a good idea and that, at a bare minimum, you should have a valid Last Will and Testament in place. If you have yet to execute a Will it may be because, despite being told how important it is, you really don’t understand why it is so important. Like many people, you may think that because your assets are not worth all that much a Will is unnecessary. To gain a better understanding of the importance of creating an executing a Last Will and Testament it helps to know how property is distributed without a Will in Texas.

When someone dies and leaves behind a valid Will the decedent is said to have died “testate”. If the decedent did not leave behind a valid Will the decedent died “intestate”. When a decedent died intestate, the Texas intestate succession laws decide what will happen to the estate assets left behind by the decedent. The reason for this is that, as a matter of public policy, the state wants all property to have a rightful and legal owner. Therefore, the Texas intestate succession laws will determine who inherits assets when an individual dies intestate. Those laws dictate that close family members (children, spouse, parents, and siblings) will inherit all of your estate assets unless none survive you in which case more distant relatives will inherit from your estate.

Like many people, you may be under the impression that your assets are not sufficiently valuable to warrant needing a Will. Nothing could be farther from the truth. You do not need to own valuable asset to care what happens to them when you die. Family heirlooms, for example, might be part of your estate assets. If so, you may have promised them to a specific child, grandchild, or even a niece or nephew. Without a Will that expresses that promise though the State of Texas will decide who receives your family heirlooms. More importantly, your family heirlooms might need to be sold in order to create the required division of assets among heirs according to the Texas intestate succession laws. In other words, your family heirlooms could be lost forever if you fail to execute a Will prior to your death.

Along with potentially losing family heirlooms, friends and more distant relatives to whom you were close during your lifetime will receive nothing from your estate if you die intestate. Likewise, a charity that was close to your heart while alive will also receive nothing from your estate unless you leave the charity a gift in your Will.

Unless you want the State of Texas to decide what happens to your assets when you die, creating at least a Last Will and Testament prior to your death is crucial. Contact the experienced Texas estate planning attorneys at The Mendel Law Firm, L.P. by calling 281-759-3213 to schedule your appointment today.

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Stephen A. Mendel, Estate Planning Attorney
Stephen A. Mendel, Estate Planning Attorney
Mr. Stephen Mendel is an attorney who focuses a substantial part of his practice on estate planning. Mr. Mendel’s guiding principle is to provide his clients with quality legal services tailored to each client’s specific needs and goals.
Stephen A. Mendel, Estate Planning Attorney
Latest posts by Stephen A. Mendel, Estate Planning Attorney (see all)
  • Thought of the Day - February 1, 2023
  • Thought of the Day - January 25, 2023
  • Thought of the Day - January 18, 2023

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Estate Planning

Other Articles You May Find Useful

  • Thought of the Day
  • Thought of the Day
  • Thought of the Day
  • Thought of the Day
  • Thought of the Day
  • Thought of the Day

About Stephen A. Mendel, Estate Planning Attorney

Mr. Stephen Mendel is an attorney who focuses a substantial part of his practice on estate planning. Mr. Mendel’s guiding principle is to provide his clients with quality legal services tailored to each client’s specific needs and goals.

Primary Sidebar

The Mendel Law Firm

Follow Us

  • FB
  • TW
  • IN
  • RSS

Blog Subscription

Subscribe to our blog to get all of the latest updates from our attorneys.

Plan For Your Future and Protect Your Legacy

There's a lot that goes into setting up a comprehensive estate plan, but with our FREE worksheet, you'll be one step closer to getting yourself and your family on the path to a secure and happy future.
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

HOUSTON

The Mendel Law Firm, L.P.
1155 Dairy Ashford, Suite 104
Houston 77079
United States (US)
Phone: (281) 759-3213
Fax: 281-759-3214

Map

map

Office Hours

Monday8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Footer

The Mendel Law Firm

The information on this website is for general information purposes only. Nothing on this or associated pages, documents, comments, answers, emails, or other communications should be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. This information on this website is not intended to create, and receipt or viewing of this information does not constitute, an
attorney-client relationship.

© 2023 Mendel Law Firm, All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Contact Us | Disclaimer | Site Map | Powered by American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys