Dangers of Living with Someone and Not Having a Will

For better or worse, co-habitation is increasingly common. If a long-term live-in relationship is intended to substitute for a traditional marriage, understand the following:

When a person dies without a will, the next of kin through marriage or blood generally inherit. Maryland is not a common law state and marriage is still defined as a relationship between a man and a woman which has been sanctioned by the State. That means that the law views your unrelated companion or partner as a stranger. He or she has no rights of inheritance absent a private will.