Can siblings contest my will?

Flugelhorn

if you leave your estate to am animal charity, I think you can be fairly certain that they will strongly defend any challenge to your will

Socajam

Josiebird - I am of the same mind as you. Have to started, but need to get round to finally do what I want with my money
I think human beings have a nerve contesting someone else's wishes with what they want to do with their money.
I fault the law on this as a Will should be sufficient to dictate what one's wishes are and have them carried out.
Greed is what is destroying the world.
I have no children and plans to leave my flat and savings to charity.
I have (5 siblings) 4 sisters with children who I helped when they were young - now they are in their 20s and 30s, I hear nothing from them, not even a phone call.
Why should they enjoy what I have worked so hard for?

Yorkshireman99

Flugelhorn wrote: »

if you leave your estate to am animal charity, I think you can be fairly certain that they will strongly defend any challenge to your will

As in the Illot case.

Yorkshireman99

Socajam wrote: »

Josiebird - I am of the same mind as you. Have to started, but need to get round to finally do what I want with my money
I think human beings have a nerve contesting someone else's wishes with what they want to do with their money.
I fault the law on this as a Will should be sufficient to dictate what one's wishes are and have them carried out.
Greed is what is destroying the world.
I have no children and plans to leave my flat and savings to charity.
I have (5 siblings) 4 sisters with children who I helped when they were young - now they are in their 20s and 30s, I hear nothing from them, not even a phone call.
Why should they enjoy what I have worked so hard for?

You any close friends with deserving offspring? My best fried has three children. Two are married to spouses who have well to do families that have supported with considerable amounts of cash. The eldest is nor well off but works very hard as does her husband. To cut a long story short I have become firm friends and have been able help them significantly financially so I have made them my heirs. I have enjoyed great pleasure in seeing their children grow up. The lads have been taken with their grandad to various things such as driving a Porsche at Thruxton for the 14 year old and a flight simulator as well as karting for him his little brother. On another occasion we all went for some laps round Thruxton with Tiff Needell. Great f’un for all. This means a smaller estate and less IHT if I live long enough.

Uxb1

Socajam wrote: »

I think human beings have a nerve contesting someone else's wishes with what they want to do with their money.

Then you will be surprised to hear in some countries that is it is specifically forbidden by law to totally dis-inherit your children in your will: - Scotland and our nearest neighbour France being two of them!

Mojisola

Socajam wrote: »

I think human beings have a nerve contesting someone else's wishes with what they want to do with their money.

I fault the law on this as a Will should be sufficient to dictate what one's wishes are and have them carried out.

Some of the cases that have made the news are because parents promised an inheritance to a child who then worked for practically nothing for years, thinking that they were building up their own future, only to find the parent had left the result of all their work to someone else.

I would contest a will that did that to me.

Yorkshireman99

Mojisola wrote: »

Some of the cases that have made the news are because parents promised an inheritance to a child who then worked for practically nothing for years, thinking that they were building up their own future, only to find the parent had left the result of all their work to someone else.

I would contest a will that did that to me.

That is effectively what the Illot case was about.

DigForVictory

I think the clear letter of wishes has the grace to stay private, but is wide open to any judge if contested.

A piece of costume jewellery each perhaps? (Charity shops have some pretty things & if you ask may even sell you a gift box.) Clearly labelled before you go & named and identified in the letter along with the statement that they have had money from your estate while you were alive should reassure a judge that you are not in anything less than your sound mind & very clear about where you want your money to go to.

I might also have a word with the animal charity legal team as well, just to make sure they know where I want my funds to go, but it may not help them in court. By which time, you will be past caring but they won't!

bouicca21

Sounds like a case for the classic legacy of a shilling - or 5p in modern speak.

Gers

The Scots law of 'legal rights' of succession do not apply to siblings only children of the deceased.

Your siblings will have no legal basis for a successful claim. As someone pointed out earlier anyone can challenge a will whether family, friend or complete stranger.

I'd do what the solicitor advises. There's no harm in making your wishes doubly clear.