Happy dying with no will. What am I missing?

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I live alone in a mortgaged property, no kids. Is it ok to not have a will and just leave everything to my next of kin? I don't see the point in spending money writing a will if I'm happy with the laws of intestate. Is there any other reason why I would need one? Maybe I could leave my box of diaries/journals to a friend but only so that she could burn them for me. I suppose I need a will for that? Seems overkill.

Are you 100% sure that the intestacy provisions will provide for your wishes including, for example, in circumstances where some next of kin predecease you?

A simple will needn't cost a fortune. There are lots of online versions/toolkits and I assume you can still buy paper forms from various sources.

There are also numerous charities who will provide free legal help with simple wills in the hope of receiving a legacy.

You don’t have to there are often free will weeks or are very cheap. It is easy and makes sure what you want happens

If you don't care what happens to your stuff after you are dead and have no interest in making things easier for anyone you leave behind then there is no need for a will
You are under no obligation to make one

Don’t make a ball ache for your next of kin for the sake of saving £200

You can do it online in 10 minutes

You do it because it will be so much simpler for your next of kin.

It makes everything slower, more complicated, and more stressful for the people you leave behind.

The absolute administrative ball ache and nightmare you set up for your next of kin by leaving it up to the state to apply the laws of intestacy is extraordinary.

It doesn't cost much so stop being a useless flake and create a will

As above, it makes things easier for your next of kin.

Many charities offer a free service for will writing, hoping you'll leave them something in return (not essential or could just be a small amount).
https://www.bhf.org.uk/how-you-can-help/leave-a-gift-in-your-will/write-or-update-your-will-for-free

As long as your next of kin is aware that you are doing this and you’ve left instructions/lists of banks, NI number, utilities details, mortgage details, any subscriptions plus any thing else that will need sorting out. Personally a simple DIY Will, witnessed would be better than nothing and will make it easier and quicker for next of kin to sort out.

Who do you think will inherit without one and have you checked what happens if they die before you?

A will does need to cost anything of it's as straightforward as you think, and will make it easier for those who have to unravel things

This is a shit thing to do to anyone you care about. Don’t put them through the extra admin.

I'd recommend being very wary of these. The charities aren't doing it for nothing, they're doing it becuase they will give a very strong steer about leaving them a legacy, and they can be ruthless in how they expect the estate to be realised if they are mentioned in the will.

It might suit OP if she doesn't care where her money ends up but it can make things very difficult for executors.

What do you mean by ‘next of kin’ ? That phrase has no legal standing.
There is is clear chain of inheritance re: intestacy after Spouse and Children.
Parents, Siblings, Aunts and Uncles, Nephews+ Nieces.
If your estate will be solvent then it’s very unfair to expect someone to sort out your mess. Who will arrange your Death certificate? Who will go through your stuff? Clear your property? Inform Utilities etc. ?

The risk is that without a will and someone named as executor, no-one thinks it is worth the hassle of dealing with your estate and things don't get sorted.

I know of a house that has just been left to rot for decades, presumably because next of kin can't be located or haven't wanted to sort it. It must be a nightmare for the semi-detached neighbours and it's heartbreaking as it would have made a good home for somebody - it's in quite an affluent part of the country but is probably too far gone now for anyone to do anything with.

That all needs doing whether there's a will or not, and probably not unreasonable for someone who (presumably) hasn't been close to OP and stands to inherit.

My will was free. I found a template on the Internet and had it witnessed by colleagues. It's in our safe if my DH needs it.

@Hemlocked pros/cons

That’s the thing I don’t get. There doesn’t seem to be anyone ‘official’ who deals with these cases, even though ‘the crown’ stands to inherit when no family can be found.
There is what used to be a lovely house near me that is now a ruin, it’s not on the Land registry and I know the Council have been informed it’s empty over the years - I guess if there’s nobody to chase for Council Tax then they can’t be arsed. Councils can take ownership of empty properties yet they don’t.

There's no reason to pay for a will that's as simple as you need. Like a pp, I just downloaded a template, printed it and got colleagues to witness my signature.

More importantly, you need to appoint someone to have power of attorney in case you become unable to manage your own affairs. Your life and that of those who might need to support you will be made miserable without at least a financial one.

You can buy one in the post office, do it yourself and get it signed by two witnesses. I think that would be better than nothing.

I used freewills.co.uk (recommended by Money Saving Expert). It really was free, and the wills are checked over by an expert. They do try to sell you addons, but they’re easily ignored.

Why make life even harder for your surviving friends and relations who will have to sort everything out when you die? Dying intestate, unless you truly have no estate whatsoever, just makes everything more complicated and slower for those you leave behind.

Just get a will.

I'm not sure that under the rules of inestacy nieces and nephews do get anything. This flow chart indicates that absent any children, parents, sibilings, half siblings, grandparents or aunts/uncles then the estate ends up with the Crown.

www.boylettslaw.co.uk/rules-of-intestacy/