Free and Cheap Wills discussion area

John_Pierpoint

It is almost impossible to answer your question without you having a face to face interview with someone who knows how to write wills.
There is a saying that solicitors make more money out of home made wills than those they get paid to create.
Having said that I have recently had to pick my way through a faulty will written by a solicitor - fortunately as the executor I spotted it was faulty as soon as I read it.

Three word wills (subject verb and object) and wills written in the testators handwriting can be valid.
25 years ago my mother and I used the then "Which?" guide to writing your own will, to replace one written by a local solicitor (who had made himself an executor).
I printed it with a dot matrix printer in a font so small that it all fitted on one page.
When the time came it did exactly what was required and a solicitor remarked that it did not use the (garbage?) phrases she was accustomed to using. [It was needed as due diligence backup for selling the family home of which my mother was only a 50% owner].

"Which?" now sells a low cost postal will writing service.

Here is a muddled article on wills
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_and_testament

The international will, to which it refers, has made little progress since 1973; even though it contained some novelties like numbering the pages, starting Page one of nine (say) and signing every page. That would have avoided the English adage: "never pin anything to a will" (or clip to it or fold it if you can roll it).

I too realise it is frustrating trying to continually monitor one's will against changes in the family and changes in legislation, and if a reliable solicitor published (say) an annual newsletter of changes in the law, especially if the ones possible effecting the wills written by the firm for the individual highlighted - that would be the solicitor who got my business.

So in summary, only you can know if you have enough knowledge and attention to detail to write a will of the complexity you need, I don't think anyone on a forum could honestly advise you to do so.

adidas

I have read avidly the whole thread and thinking about wills. In general, how do you pick a good will writer? What are the features/qualifications to look out for? I don't have any recommendations yet.


Thanks

adidas

I'm bumping up this thread....

cinderfella

I am looking around for a square deal on an executors services.
Got a will drawn up. & the company has gone into administration.
I was rather shocked at the London charges for this sort of thing & not having anyone to ask was hoping to take the opportunity to get the paperwork moved to a cheaper firm.
Does Saga or someone do a cheaper international service as executor & ' will looker after'.
This free will service is okay but come the eventual day these firms seem to look at the after death services as a bit like a money printing machine.

Errata

Make a new will appointing new executor(s) and deposit it with the Probate Service http://www.justice.gov.uk/courts/probate/depositing-documents-for-safe-keeping

neutron

adidas wrote: »

I have read avidly the whole thread and thinking about wills. In general, how do you pick a good will writer? What are the features/qualifications to look out for? I don't have any recommendations yet.
Thanks

I would also appreciate similar advice and more about IHT planning, trusts etc. I've been told to start giving money away to avoid IHT, there must be a more sensible way. Please could someone help?

Mike_from_Croydon

The article suggests it is a good idea to deposit your will with the High Court of Justice. But I have just spent half an hour trying to track down how to do this, including several Google searches that turn up a private firm as top hit, the delightfully named Probate Department Ltd. Others may be luckier if they chance to use the correct search terms more quickly than me, but I finally found the correct official instructions.

And now it seems that as a new user I can't post the link! So all I can say is Google "hm court services forms" and enter "pa7" into the search box (both without the quote marks of course).

So it would be a good idea to include a link to this in the article. And actually it might be helpful to specifically mention the Probate Service, although I don't think this in itself makes online searching that much easier.

Mojisola

Mike_from_Croydon wrote: »

So it would be a good idea to include a link to this in the article. And actually it might be helpful to specifically mention the Probate Service, although I don't think this in itself makes online searching that much easier.

You're right - it isn't easy to find - it's not surprising so few people use it.
http://hmctsformfinder.justice.gov.uk/courtfinder/forms/pa07-eng.pdf

MSE_Helen_S

Mojisola wrote: »

You're right - it isn't easy to find - it's not surprising so few people use it.
http://hmctsformfinder.justice.gov.uk/courtfinder/forms/pa07-eng.pdf

Thanks, Mojisola, for the link - I have added it into the guide.

rokel

Hi All - the connection here is 'Wills' but haven't seen any recent post re my own query, but here goes. Payments of debts after death - If a property is in joint tenancy and the person that dies has CC debts in their sole name who is liable? Surely at the moment of death the inheritor owns the property outright and so shouldn't have to pay as it is not their debt. If the deceased has no actual money (other than what may be in say a joint bank account at that moment) can the spouse/partner be forced to pay? We are in the throes of altering our 10yr old wills and this was a question that came up. Advice would be appreciated.