Who is entitled to inherit property?
Under inheritance law in Massachusetts, the people who are entitled to inherit property are called heirs. Heirs are typically the living relatives of the deceased, and their rights to the property pass through the state’s laws of intestate succession. If the deceased had a valid will, then the heirs would be the persons named as beneficiaries in that will. If the deceased died without a will, then the heirs are determined according to the Massachusetts Intestate Succession Act. Under this law, spouses, children, grandchildren, and parents are the first-level heirs that are entitled to inherit the property. If the deceased had none of these close relatives, then the property is distributed to other relatives in the following order: brothers and sisters, grandparents, uncles and aunts, and so on. In Massachusetts, the laws of intestacy also apply to the estate of minors. In this case, the parents are the first level of heirs that are entitled to inherit property. If the deceased minor had neither parents nor living relatives, then the property is transferred to the state of Massachusetts. Finally, when a deceased has both a valid will and living relatives, the property is distributed to the named beneficiaries in the will, and the remaining property is divided among the heirs according to the laws of intestate succession in Massachusetts.
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