Making a Will
 

Why make a will ?

A Will is the best way to be sure of what will happen to your property and possessions after your death.

Without a Will you cannot guarantee that everything will pass to your husband or wife.

If you are unmarried, or have not registered a civil partnership, your partner will have to prove in court that they are entitled to a share.

A Will can also allow you to choose a guardian for children and ensure their financial security.

You may wish to ensure that other people or organisations beside family members benefit. This can only be done by making a Will.

Even people without family should make a Will otherwise the Government will benefit.

 
How to make a will
You should consider who you wish to act as your Executors (the people responsible for ensuring that your wishes are carried out)
You should make a list of the names and addresses of people you wish to have in your Will.
You should make an estimate of the total value of your estate.
You should decide who should receive specific items, or amounts of money
Then make an appointment at our office, or complete the form on our Fast Wills page.

A draft Will will be sent to you shortly after your appointment, or we receive your email.

Once you have approved the draft, we will prepare a bound version for your signature.

Once the Will has been signed, we will store the original document free of charge and provide you with certified copies for your records.

We also strongly encourage you to take up our offer to arrange for your will to be registered with Certainty, a national database. The fact that you have a will is the only thing that's registered, not the details of who you've left things to.  The only people who can have access are people who are your executors or solicitors - and even then, only after you've died.  

 

Keeping your Will up-to-date

Everyone should have a Will but they need to be kept up to date.

Look at your Will every few years and consider :-

Are my assets worth considerably more now?
Does it still match my wishes?
Have any of the beneficiaries died or have any children been born?
Are there people or organisations not currently mentioned whom I would like to benefit?
Can I reduce any Inheritance Tax liabilities by altering the terms of my Will?

You MUST make a new will if:
You have married or registered a civil partnership
You have separated or are in the process of a divorce
You wish to provide for a new partner or children