In the absence of a will, how is the deceased's estate administered?

In the absence of a will, how is the deceased's estate administered?

If the deceased person hasn't made a will then an application is made for what is called a grant letter of administration to deal with the deceased's estate. It's still made to the probate registry. Somebody will be an administrator and will take on this job, it could be a surviving spouse, it could be children or a relative, it could be indeed be the family's lister or whoever, and they will then administer the assets of the deceased in accordance with the rules relating to intestate succession. These are statute set of rules which state in modern circumstances as to who will inherit.