A young man came to me recently seeking help to transfer the deed of the house he lives in into his own name. The catch? The house is still registered in his late grandmother\u2019s name. She left behind 17 children, and now every one of them is lining up to claim a share. The young man had cared for his grandmother until her passing, and she had told him, time and again, that the house would be his.
When I explained that legally, he was not entitled to anything but his mother (one of the 17 children) is entitled to only a 1\/17th of that property \u2013 while his aunts and uncles together hold the rest \u2013 he insisted that what I was saying did not make sense and said he would ask another lawyer because \u201cGranny bin say it na fu go so.\u201d
That statement reminded me why Wills are so important. At just 21 years old, I have already done a Will for myself. Why? The only certainty in life is death\u2014and when that day comes, I want my wishes to be clear. I don\u2019t want confusion, fighting, or disappointment.
Why \u201cGranny\u2019s promise\u201d isn\u2019t enough
1. Property only passes by deed or by Will \u2013 If Granny didn\u2019t give you that land by a Deed of Gift while she was alive, and she didn\u2019t leave a Will, then it doesn\u2019t matter what she said. The law\u2014not her promise\u2014decides where it goes.
2. Intestacy law decides who inherits \u2013 In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, if someone dies without a Will, their estate is shared out according to the laws of intestacy. These rules follow a strict priority list. You might be on that list, but not as close to the top as you think.
a. First in line is the spouse. Imagine Granny\u2019s long-lost husband\u2014who left her in 1980 and never divorced\u2014returning to claim one-third of her assets.
b. Next are her children\u2014including the ones who never even showed up at her funeral.
c. Then her parents, followed by full siblings, then half-siblings, then grandparents, and then aunts and uncles if they still exist.
As you can see, what Granny may have wanted and what the law says can be two very different things.
3. A Will gives you control \u2013 Making a Will ensures that your property\u2014land, house, money, or personal items\u2014goes to the people you choose, not just those the law picks. It also prevents unnecessary family conflict
So, \u201cGranny bin say\u201d may carry weight in family conversations, but in the eyes of the law, it\u2019s meaningless without a deed or a Will. The best gift you can leave your family is clarity. Speak to your Attorney today and make your Will.
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A young man came to me recently seeking help to transfer the deed of the house he lives in into his own name. The catch? The house is still registered in his late grandmother\u2019s name. She left behind 17 children, and now every one of them is lining up to claim a share. The young<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":43945,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43946","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mainstory"],"yoast_head":"\n