What are personal representatives in an intestate case?

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Multiple Choice

What are personal representatives in an intestate case?

In an intestate case, personal representatives are administrators. When someone dies without a valid will, there’s no named executor, so the court appoints an administrator to handle the estate. The administrator collects assets, pays debts and taxes, and distributes the remaining assets to the heirs according to the rules of intestacy. This role is the equivalent of an executor, but it applies specifically when there is no will. Guardians oversee the care of minor or vulnerable dependants, not the estate’s administration, and receivers are appointed in other contexts to manage property or assets, not to probate an estate.

In an intestate case, personal representatives are administrators. When someone dies without a valid will, there’s no named executor, so the court appoints an administrator to handle the estate. The administrator collects assets, pays debts and taxes, and distributes the remaining assets to the heirs according to the rules of intestacy. This role is the equivalent of an executor, but it applies specifically when there is no will.

Guardians oversee the care of minor or vulnerable dependants, not the estate’s administration, and receivers are appointed in other contexts to manage property or assets, not to probate an estate.

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