Bespoke will drafting for couples without children
A will that names who inherits, including if you both die together, with a substitute executor and clear gifts to siblings, nieces, nephews or others you choose.
Wills & estates · Sunshine Coast
Wills & Estate Lawyer Parrearra
Two people, no children, a unit or villa, and a superannuation balance that will do more of the work than the will.
Parrearra is one of the few Sunshine Coast suburbs where childless couples are the clear majority: 53.3% of households, against 32.4% couples with children. Median age is 52. The dwelling mix is unusually varied for the coast: 26.4% flats or apartments, 18.2% townhouses and villas, and 55.6% separate houses, and 42.8% of dwellings are owned outright. A wills and estate lawyer Parrearra couples use plans for a situation the intestacy rules were not written for. The first conversation is free.
Without children, the statutory order in the Succession Act 1981 (Qld) sends an estate to a spouse first, then outward to parents, siblings and nieces and nephews. For a Parrearra couple that formula may send the estate somewhere neither of you would choose. The will also has to decide what happens to a unit or villa, which is often a single asset, and how a superannuation death benefit is paid, since super usually sits outside the estate and follows the fund's nomination.
First consultationFree and confidential
FeesFull fee quoted before drafting starts
WhereBirtinya office, by appointment
Why Parrearra Residents Choose Catton Roderick
Our Birtinya office is a short drive from Parrearra, and appointments are scheduled for a full conversation about who you want to benefit. Dr Darren Catton, the firm's principal, handles each wills matter personally. He holds a Doctorate of Juridical Science from QUT, carries the TEP designation for specialist trust and estate practitioners, and sits on the Queensland Law Society's Property Law committee. The firm states he has practised Queensland estate law for more than 30 years.
- Childless-couple estates drafted properly, so the will rather than the intestacy rules decides who inherits.
- Superannuation nominations reviewed alongside the will, so the two point at the same people.
- Free, confidential first consultation, full fee quoted before drafting.
- Executor and substitute chosen carefully, without an adult child to fall back on.
- Signed originals stored securely, with a copy for your records.
Our Wills and Estate Services for Parrearra
Enduring powers of attorney and probate are covered here as general Queensland law only. Nothing above is personal legal, financial or superannuation advice.
Estate planning for a unit or villa
Working out whether a unit or villa is sold and the proceeds split, or kept, and who meets any strata levies while the estate is administered.
Executor selection, with written guidance
Choosing among a sibling, a friend or a professional executor, and setting the role out clearly in writing.
Family provision claims (Queensland)
How Queensland law treats claims by a spouse or dependant, relevant even without children where relationships are blended or re-partnered.
Why Parrearra Wills Work Differently
Parrearra has 4,661 residents, median age 52, and a median household income of $1,467 a week. Its tenure leans to ownership, with 42.8% owned outright and 26.1% mortgaged, against 25.0% rented. Couples without children lead the family mix at 53.3%, and one-parent families are 13.2%. Professionals (24.0%), managers (14.8%) and clerical and administrative workers (13.4%) lead the workforce, and hospitals and aged care are the largest local employers.
That profile produces an estate built more on the home and super than on children's needs. The will's central jobs are naming beneficiaries clearly, deciding what happens to the property, and making sure the executor can act if one of you cannot. We review super nominations at the same appointment, because a death benefit that does not match the will is one of the most common problems we see.
Areas We Serve
We act as a wills and estate lawyer for Parrearra and the surrounding Sunshine Coast localities, from the Birtinya office:
Our Birtinya office, address and hours · Book a free consultation
FAQs
We have no children. Who inherits if we don't make a will?
Under the Succession Act 1981 (Qld), a surviving spouse generally takes the estate where there are no children. Without a spouse or children it passes to parents, then siblings, then nieces and nephews. A will lets you choose instead.
What happens to our super if we both die?
Super is directed by the nomination with your fund, not automatically by the will. We check that the nomination and the will point to the same people, including in a simultaneous-death situation.
Our unit has strata levies. Does that affect the estate?
Yes. Outstanding levies can be a debt against the property, and the body corporate's records need updating on transfer. We factor that into the executor guidance.
Who should be our executor without adult children?
Common choices are a sibling, a close friend or a professional executor. We recommend naming a substitute too, and we talk through who is likely to outlive you and be able to act.
What does a will cost?
It depends on the estate. The first consultation is free, and the full fee is quoted before work starts.
Parrearra, and How to Reach Us
Parrearra sits inland from the Sunshine Coast beaches, in the Sunshine Coast Council area near the Bruce Highway. It has grown into a mature, mixed-housing suburb with a large share of units and villas alongside detached homes. Today it is home to 4,661 people, median age 52.
Catton Roderick Lawyers
| Business | Catton Roderick Lawyers |
|---|---|
| Phone | 1300 673 792 |
| info@cattonroderick.com.au | |
| Office | Regatta 1 Business Centre, 2 Innovation Parkway, Birtinya QLD 4575 (by appointment) |
| Other offices | Unit 3, 9 East Street, Caboolture QLD 4510 (Mon–Fri 9–5) · Level 1, 133 Redcliffe Parade, Redcliffe QLD 4020 (Tue–Fri 9–5) |
| Serving | Parrearra, Bokarina, Warana, Buddina, Mountain Creek and the wider Sunshine Coast |
We do not have a Parrearra office. Parrearra clients are seen at our Birtinya office by appointment.