You may decide you want to distribute your property differently.

You can write a completely new will. It is always a good idea to date your will (although you do not have to), so the people reading it will know it was written after all earlier wills!

You can also change part of your will, by taking something out or adding something in, and leaving the rest of the will as it was originally written. The change is called a codicil. You must follow the same formalities when you write the codicil as you did when you wrote your will.

3.10 What happens if I do not have a will?
[Student Manual, page 22]

You do not have to have a will. If you die without a will, you die intestate. This means that the law decides who will inherit your property and how much they will inherit.

In Quebec, your legal heirs are your spouse and your children, or if you have no children, your parents. Your property will be divided according to the rules under Quebec law. For example,

• if you have a spouse and no children, the spouse inherits two-thirds and the parents receive one-third;
• if you have a spouse and children, the spouse receives one-third and the children receive two-thirds;
• if you have no spouse and children, the children receive everything;
• if you have no spouse and no children, the property is divided equally between your parents, and your brothers and sisters or your nieces and nephews;
• if you have no children, no parents, no brothers or sisters, and no nieces or nephews, the spouse inherits everything;
• if you have no spouse, no children, no parents, no brothers or sisters and no nieces or nephews, the State gets the property.