Need a will.

Peater

Sorry if this has been done to death already, but...

What's the easiest/cheapest way of making a simple will? Want to leave everything to one person.

RabbitMad

get a bit of paper,

write last will and testament of peater

put everything to x (be as precise as you can.)

Then get 2 unconnected people around and ask them to watch you sign and date it. they they sign it and put their names and address.

Done - can't get much simpler and cheaper than that.

Peater

easy as that? Does a solicitor have to keep it?

newbutold

Peater wrote: »

Sorry if this has been done to death already, but...

What's the easiest/cheapest way of making a simple will? Want to leave everything to one person.

You can buy a DIY will kit in WH Smiths for about £25. It comes with full instructions. You would just need to find to people that are not beneficiaries or married to beneficiaries to witness you sign it.

RAS

First things

What do you own? Is this just yours or owned jointly with the person to whom you want to leave stuff?

Secondly are you married in a civil partnership with this person?

Check out the probate registry because they offer a will-keeping service for about £15. Solicitors will keep it, sometimes for free, in expectation of thousands in fees when you die.

newbutold

Peater wrote: »

easy as that? Does a solicitor have to keep it?

Nope. You can send it to the probate registry for safe keeping if you choose.

Just make sure it's in a safe place and that someone knows where it is.

Peater

Thanks for the advice, all.

I am single, have a flat, car, savings etc. Want everything to pass to my sister until such time as i need to change it if i were to start a family etc.

Easy enough to change a Will?

RabbitMad

Peater wrote: »

easy as that? Does a solicitor have to keep it?

Yes, as easy as that. Should you want one as simple as you describe, once you want more complex things its probably worth getting a specialist to help.

If you have children or a wife and they are not the person you are leaving everything to then assuming you are in england or wales then the will could be successfully challenged. In scotland the law states that relatives must inherit a portion of the estate.

there is a fairly famous case (in legal circles) where a man put in his will - "everything to mother". This went to court and the court decided that the man meant his wife who he called mother so be as clear as you can.

RabbitMad

Peater wrote: »

Thanks for the advice, all.

I am single, have a flat, car, savings etc. Want everything to pass to my sister until such time as i need to change it if i were to start a family etc.

Easy enough to change a Will?

yes - rip it up and write a new one

Richard_Webster

It is fairly straight forward but you would be amazed at the mistakes that people make.

I have a home made will we tried to get through probate for a client and the registry won't accept it because it is written in both blue and black ink and they want proof that it was all written at the same time and not altered later!

A home made will testatrix got friends over to be witnesses to the will she had written out on a will form she had bought. Got them to sign in the right places to "witness" her signature - but she forgot to sign it!

In another case the deceased made will and then later crossed bits of it out (which didn't make any real difference to its meaning). One of the witnesses had died already and we had to go and find the other witness and drag her in front of a local solicitor to sign an affidavit to say that as far as she could remember there weren't any alterations on t he will when she witnessed it - we eventually got the will without the alterations admitted to probate.

Now I've told you about them you probably won't make those mistakes but there are loads of other possible mistakes a lay person could make.

For the small cost of getting a solicitor to do it, is it really worth trying to do it yourself?

Mojisola

Peater wrote: »

Sorry if this has been done to death already, but...

What's the easiest/cheapest way of making a simple will? Want to leave everything to one person.

What about if you and that person die in the same accident? You need to add a "just in case" clause saying what's going to happen to your money then.

If you die without a valid will, you can see who would get your money here - https://www.youngandpearce.co.uk/intestrules.htm

Which? do some books about making wills, etc. They are worth a read - may help you avoid the more obvious mistakes if you do go ahead with a home-made will.