Will mistake

Kaizer73

Hi I've just written out my will, however instead of putting "my son" I put "my son's", realising my mistake I put a bracket over the extra s. Will my will still be valid or do i have to rewrite a new one. (This is a self will without a solicitor etc).

Yorkshireman99

Kaizer73 wrote: »

Hi I've just written out my will, however instead of putting "my son" I put "my son's", realising my mistake I put a bracket over the extra s. Will my will still be valid or do i have to rewrite a new one. (This is a self will without a solicitor etc).

Get the job done properly by a solicitor not a will writer. It just shows how easy it is to get a DIY will wrong. How do you know there are no other errors?

LilElvis

Second vote for getting your will drawn up by a solicitor (not a will writing service!). Also get a Power of Attorney put in place so that your nominee has the ability to make medical and financial decisions should you become incapacitated - it is far more costly and a longer process if this has to be done when you are incapable of actioning it yourself.

Kaizer73

There isn't any other mistakes, and alot of people can't afford a solicitor so have no choice but to do it themselves. I asked a question to get help not a sarcastic answer.

AnotherJoe

Kaizer73 wrote: »

There isn't any other mistakes, and alot of people can't afford a solicitor so have no choice but to do it themselves. I asked a question to get help not a sarcastic answer.

Well, there's a clear mistake in that first sentence, what if your incorrect grammar leads to something being written in to the willmthat you didn't intend?
Even without that level of error, how do you know there are no other mistakes ? Who has checked it ?

TBagpuss

I don't think the answer was sarcastic, it was making a valid point.

And no, making changes to the will is not a good idea. It creates uncertainty about whether the change was made before your will was signed and witnessed, or afterwards.

Robin9

Kaizer73 - if you must do a self-will tear up the one with the mistake on it (and any copies) and start again.

Make sure your executor has a copy and the family know where the original is.

Yorkshireman99

Kaizer73 wrote: »

There isn't any other mistakes, and alot of people can't afford a solicitor so have no choice but to do it themselves. I asked a question to get help not a sarcastic answer.

My reply was not sarcastic in any way. It was genuine advice and sensible as others have stated. I am sorry to say that since you could not compose a grammatically correct reply your will could easily have other mistakes. Take a deep breath, swallow your pride and remember people on here want to help.

Linton

If you have enough money to make writing a will worthwhile you have enough to pay a solicitor to get it right so that your assets are actually distributed according to your wishes. A badly drafted will could be declared invalid, may not state what should happen under all circumstances or may have unwanted consequences. For example does your will say what should happen if your son unfortunately dies before you do?

Keep_pedalling

There are circumstances where a DIY will may be OK. I composed my mothers will, but her estate was small, cash only and I knew I would never need to apply for probate. Even then it can be risky if you have not considered all the what if situations that a solisitor should advise you on.

lukewarn

My parent did a DIY will.

It went to probate - no problem.
It was contested by 2 siblings - no problem.
It involved 2 court hearings - no problem.