Two out of three people die without making a Will.  When this happens, the estate is distributed in accordance with a rigid set of rules known as the intestacy rules.  Spouses receive a set sum and blood relatives are listed in order of priority.  This can have disastrous consequences.

Disadvantages of Dying Without a Will:

1. If you are elderly with no immediate family this could mean that your estate passes to distant relatives that you have not seen in years.  Friends, charities and relatives by marriage get nothing.
2. If you and your partner are not married, your partner will receive nothing on your death.
3. If you and your spouse do not own assets jointly, then your spouse may be forced to sell the house to pay legacies to your children or other relatives.

Advantages of Making a Will:

1. If you have children from a previous relationship, you may wish to make provision for your spouse during his/her lifetime and then ensure that your estate passes to your children after the death of your spouse.
   Otherwise, if your die first, it is possible that your spouse could remarry or change their Will, cutting out your children.
2. You can choose guardians to look after your children if they are orphaned under the age of 18.
3. If you care for a disabled person who receives means tested benefits, we can draw up a Will which sets up a trust fund for the disabled person without effecting their entitlement to benefits.
4. If you own a property abroad, it is important to make a Will both here and in the country where you own the property.  We can advise on foreign property issues.
5. Setting out your instructions in a Will prevents future arguments among family members.
6. If you make a Will you decide who gets what and when.  You decide who will carry out your instructions.  You can take account of individual circumstances so as to ensure that your estate is distributed exactly as you wish.

You can buy a Will from a stationers and complete it yourself however unless this is checked by a solicitor you will not know whether you might have made a mistake which could make it invalid or if what you have said is not clear enough so the gifts fail because no-one can be sure what you meant.

How Much Does it Cost?

Single Will - £150 + VAT
Mirror Wills for a couple - £250 + VAT
Will with one home visit - £225 + VAT
Will with two home visits - £300 + VAT
Codicil (minor amendments to an existing Will) - £60 + VAT
Double Codicils for a couple - £90 + VAT

If you are eligible for Legal Help then there is no charge for drafting a Will.  The eligibility requirements are as follows:-

1. You must either be in receipt of income support or pension credit and
2. You are either over 70 years old or disabled or a single parent or you have a disabled child.

Where Shall I Keep My Will?

We offer free storage of all Wills that we draft in our fireproof storage cabinets.  We also offer deed storage for house deeds and other important papers.  If the Will is stored with us then we give you copies of the signed Will for you to keep and to give to your Executors together with a note that the original is in our store.