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Unmarried partners, including those who are living together, have no rights. The only thing they can claim is their share of any assets held in joint names.
Unless their name is on the title deed, they cannot even claim a share of the property they have been living in.
Six million now cohabit and many could be forced to move out of their home if their deceased partner owned it.
The partner’s children, parents, brothers and sisters, half brothers and sisters, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and their children (the cousins) are all ahead in the pecking order.
Griffin said there is a slim chance you could make a claim under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975.
But you will have to meet certain criteria and prove your case in court.
Even married couples and civil partners could be in for a nasty surprise unless they have drawn up a will, because intestacy rules set limits on how much they can inherit from their partner if it is not set out in a will.
If they have no children or grandchildren, the partner gets the full estate. But if they do have children, the surviving spouse or civil partner will only get assets up to £270,000, plus all their personal possessions, whatever their value.
They will also get half of all assets above £270,000, with the other half divided equally between the surviving children.
READ MORE: Inheritance tax warning as Britons fail to plan for 40% bill
