Making a Will
A will is something everyone should consider putting in place. Speak to our experts.
Making a Will
Recent research has suggested that around 70% of adults in the UK do not have a Will. Many think that it is unnecessary because they don’t have enough money to make writing a Will worthwhile, or because everything will in any case pass to their family. Some think it is something that should only be done in old age, and many people simply don’t want to think about the prospect of their own death.
However, a Will is something everyone should consider putting in place. By doing so you can:
- Decide who you trust to deal with your Estate (which includes all your property, money and possessions) after your death.
- Leave instructions for your funeral
- Appoint Guardians for your children
- Give gifts of items or money to friends, family or charities
- Make provision for your pets
- Decide who will inherit your estate (and, perhaps as importantly, who will not) and in the case of children, at what age.
- Set up Trusts, if you want to be able to control what happens to your money and property for a period after your death.
Intestacy
If you do not have a valid Will your Estate will be dealt with according to the Intestacy Rules. These rules are intended to take care of spouses (and civil partners) and children, but the basic principles were established in 1925 when divorce, remarriage and co-habitation were much less common.
Most people assume that in the absence of a Will their spouse will inherit everything, but depending on the size of the estate, this is not necessarily the case. Unmarried partners and step children will get nothing under the Intestacy Rules. The estate could pass instead to your parents, brothers and sisters or cousins, for example, and those with whom you have lived and who may be financially dependent on you, would have to embark on potentially costly and lengthy legal proceedings to prove their claim. This can cause not only financial problems but also great distress for your family at what is already a very difficult time.
Why choose Hayes + Storr to write your Will?
Wills are very important legal documents and you should entrust the preparation of your Will to a suitably qualified professional. Writing your own Will, or having it done cheaply by someone who is non-qualified and unsupervised, can be a significant risk. A small mistake in the wording can lead to unexpected consequences and problems which are costly and time consuming to resolve.
Our staff are trained and experienced in writing Wills and (unlike many Will writing services) we are professionally regulated and insured.
We will aim to see you in person and talk to you in detail about what you want your Will to achieve, so we can ensure that the Will you put in place will serve the purpose.
We will store your Will for you indefinitely at no cost.
Costs
We will discuss costs with you in detail when we have taken your instructions and advised you what sort of Will would be appropriate for your needs. Many Wills can be prepared on a fixed fee basis; if your requirements are more complicated than usual for any reason we may charge according to the time spent advising you and drafting the Will, and we will talk to you about this so that you are clear about our charges.
Please visit one of our offices to learn more about the will writing services we provide in Kings Lynn, Swaffham, Fakenham, Holt, Hunstanton, Sheringham or Wells-next-the-Sea. Alternatively, you can make an enquiry today via our website.
