Where’s your Will?

Every adult with property or with other assets of more than a couple of thousand pounds should make a Will and register it.

Without a Will, the state directs who inherits and often this will not be the persons who you would want or expect. This is particularly the case if you are not married or in a civil partnership, but equally if you are in such a relationship and have significant assets, rules which apply are very unlikely to have the result you would want. A Will is vital if you have children or other dependants who may not be able to care for themselves.

Once you have decided upon making a Will, you may be tempted to use an online Wills service or a ‘do-it-yourself’ pack. There are many pitfalls in this approach as opposed to using a solicitor.

Solicitors are governed by legislation, regulated and subject to many years of training to qualify. Most solicitors operate on the basis of a personal service and are required to check that you understand what you are doing and that you are not being bullied or forced into the arrangements which you are making. Your solicitor should be able to offer a personal, quality service and to provide advice ranging from tax considerations to preserving assets from care charges, looking to the best way of carrying out your wishes.

If you do not make a Will through your local solicitor, there will often be the uncertainty after your days as to whether you did or did not make a Will, and this can lead to expensive enquiries having to be carried out after your days by whoever is sorting matters out, and also to the risk of it being discovered at the end of the day that someone else is entitled to the assets or property to the person who thought they were, which can lead to costly and upsetting disputes.

The cost of making a Will properly through a solicitor is almost certain to be outweighed by the peace of mind that comes from knowing that your wishes have been put into a legally valid document and saving your family the additional costs which are almost certain to be faced in any situation where there is no Will or where there is uncertainty over whether there is a Will and where it might be.

If you would like to know more about making a Will and the costs involved please contact Adam Bruce or Ceri Davies on 01267 237441.