The Inheritance Act of 1965 lists the family members who can inherit where the deceased has not left a will , or there is property left which is not covered by the will, or the will was not declared valid. The act gives an order of preference. Aside from a spouse (married or common-law) the other family members inherit in descending order (children before parents and parents before grandparents). The given share is divided equally between family members of the same rank (all the brothers and sisters share the “siblings” share equally between them ). The family members who can inherit are:

 More distant relatives can only inherit if they are beneficiaries in the deceased’s will.