If you die without a will, according to FindLaw, you’re deemed to be “intestate,” a legal term that means “not having a will” (law can be simple and straightforward on rare occasions). From there, the intestacy laws of your state (or territory, if you’re in Puerto Rico or another U.S. territory/possession) come into play. As mentioned above, these laws vary by state, and in the case of property in one or more states/territories, it will take courts in multiple jurisdictions to sort things out.

The principal problem with this, according to the E.A. Goodman Law Firm, is that the deceased’s assets are going to be distributed not according to his or her wishes, which would/should have been written down in a will, but according to state intestacy laws. That means, for example, that someone who wanted to leave all of their money to one person or another will instead have it distributed according to a formula. Further still, that job will fall to a person — usually a relative — assigned by a court; that person may or may not be the person the deceased wanted to distribute their estate.

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