• An heir is a person who has a legal right to receive an inheritance when the deceased did not draw up a last will and testament.

  • Generally speaking, the heirs who inherit the property are the children, descendants or other close relatives of the testator.
  • From a legal point of view, heirs are different from beneficiaries who are named in a will or other written documents as the intended recipients of the deceased’s assets.
  • Part of the property of a deceased person, bequeathed to an heir, is called an inheritance.
  • When a person dies without a will, this is called making a will, and the probate court determines how the assets are distributed.