New will or not new will

dithedancer

Hi, a bit of advice needed please. I made a will with a solicitor 10 years ago when my children were young naming my friend as executor. It is now due for updating due to the fact my children are now adults and my friend as now changed address. I remember when my hubby died that the solicitors fees were quite expensive , as he took care of everything. A few days ago I was approached by a company called just wills and legal services, who are coming to see me next week. I haven't got a lot to leave but I have a house that's not worth a great deal. Should I make a new will with these people or renew my will with the solicitor. I have no idea what the costs would be yet but I'm assuming it won't be cheap.

poppystar

So that you are prepared when these people come to see you, especially as they may try a hard sell, I suggest you ring or visit a couple of local solicitors before this appointment. They can give you an estimate of what it will cost so you have a point of comparison.

Solicitors dealing with an estate can be quite expensive but don't be put off by that when all you want is a new will, you may find they are very competitively priced for the will writing.

FreeBear

poppystar wrote: »

Solicitors dealing with an estate can be quite expensive but don't be put off by that when all you want is a new will, you may find they are very competitively priced for the will writing.

Any "professional" can be expensive when handling probate - If the children are mature and get along well with each other, it may be best to appoint them as executors.

When looking at a will writing outfit, consider any storage fees they may want to charge along with any other annual charges for "extras". The majority of solicitors do not charge to store a will so it is worth bearing that point in mind when looking at the overall cost.

McKneff

They are really really expensive so please be careful They will also try to sell you stuff that you pay for during your lifetime.

Personally, I would cancel the appointment and see a local solicitor or ring Help The Aged, they will often do a will free if you leave them a donation..

You say the previous solicitors were expensive, this is presumably because you said they dealt with everything.
Appoint a couple of executors who you trust, that in itself will save you hundreds of pounds, especially and some solicitors are £200 plus per hour..... (how I wish I had trained to be a solicitor ha ha)

pattycake

We recently used a local solicitor to write two mirror wills for my DH and myself.

Cost £195 plus VAT. The initial appointment was on Wednesday. Drafts were emailed to us the same day. We went back to the office on Friday and signed.

Not expensive, quick and easy. We did know what we wanted to say in the wills but the solicitor raised a couple of points we hadn't thought of.

Mojisola

dithedancer wrote: »

Should I make a new will with these people or renew my will with the solicitor.

I have no idea what the costs would be yet but I'm assuming it won't be cheap.

I would cancel the appointment. Their initial price might be lower than a solicitor would charge but you'll find yourself pressurised into paying for all sorts of extras.

If you were happy with the solicitors, go back to them. Otherwise, ask around for a recommendation for a new one. Their charge for a will should be very clear from the start.

Don't appoint the solicitor as the executor. The executors you choose will have the option to pay a solicitor to do the work if they don't want to when the time comes but they will retain control.

Yorkshireman99

dithedancer wrote: »

Hi, a bit of advice needed please. I made a will with a solicitor 10 years ago when my children were young naming my friend as executor. It is now due for updating due to the fact my children are now adults and my friend as now changed address. I remember when my hubby died that the solicitors fees were quite expensive , as he took care of everything. A few days ago I was approached by a company called just wills and legal services, who are coming to see me next week. I haven't got a lot to leave but I have a house that's not worth a great deal. Should I make a new will with these people or renew my will with the solicitor. I have no idea what the costs would be yet but I'm assuming it won't be cheap.

Don't use a will writer under any circumstances. A decent solicitor should be able to do the whole job for well under £200.

SeniorSam

The fact that your friend has moved does not alter anything in the Will, as it is the person who was at the stated address at the time. Moving houses a couple of times makes no difference. If you wish to make the children executors and not your friend, you only need a codicil to your Will, which wouldnt cost much at all with a solicitor. A new Will is not really needed unless you wish to make a lot of changes. Do not use a Will Writer a there have been some terrible stories using some of those people. Phone a couple of solicitors and ask the cost for just a codicil.

Sam

FreeBear

If you decide to use a codicil, do NOT staple it to the original will - It would cause all kinds of problems with the Probate Registry after you have gone.

Yorkshireman99

SeniorSam wrote: »

The fact that your friend has moved does not alter anything in the Will, as it is the person who was at the stated address at the time. Moving houses a couple of times makes no difference. If you wish to make the children executors and not your friend, you only need a codicil to your Will, which wouldnt cost much at all with a solicitor. A new Will is not really needed unless you wish to make a lot of changes. Do not use a Will Writer a there have been some terrible stories using some of those people. Phone a couple of solicitors and ask the cost for just a codicil.

Sam

Codicils really are seldom used these days. They were ideal in the days before word processors but now a new will is best. It also gives the opportunity for the solicitor to discuss and advise on legislative changes and changes in family circumstances.

SmlSave

If addresses and maiden names are all that you want changing then there's no need for a new Will. A letter placed with your existing Will is fine.

If you want to change your Will please don't use Will writers. Pay a bit more for solicitors and ones that store for free