Pennsylvania inheritance laws provide that if a person dies without a will:
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The state takes all property
The state does not automatically take all property when someone dies without a will. Only when there are no eligible heirs under intestate succession laws would the property potentially escheat to the state, which is rare.
Property passes according to intestate succession laws
The spouse receives nothing
Pennsylvania intestate succession laws specifically protect surviving spouses, who typically receive a significant share of the estate, often at least one-third, not nothing.
Property must be sold
There is no requirement that property must be sold when someone dies intestate. The property can be transferred to heirs according to intestate laws and remain in ownership.
Why is this correct?
When someone dies without a will in Pennsylvania, property passes according to the state's intestate succession laws, which outline a specific hierarchy of heirs who inherit the property. This is the standard legal procedure for distributing assets in the absence of a will.
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