Cost of Wills

JustUseSellotape

You can certainly specify an age over 18 if you want. There can be potential tax consequences depending on the age (more so with larger value estates), but it is common to put an age over 18, even in simple Wills. 25 is a common upper age band for children for example, but again, it can go above this. There are other issues when putting any age, for example, you might lose the ability to get the residence nil rate band automatically. 

Keep_pedalling

JustUseSellotape said:

When the government looked to regulate willwriting, they interestingly concluded that the industry did not need regulation, as the unregulated sector was not much different from the regulated sector, in that both offered good and bad experiences roughly equally. STEP qualified advisers are in both sectors, but only a small percentage of advisers go down this route. It would be much easier if the industry as a whole was regulated on an even playing field, but costs would have to rise. I think personal recommendation is very useful, but does not guarantee good service etc. I met a payroll adviser recently who made an interesting comment that she would never use an accountant for payroll, as not many were good in this area - always use a specialist payroll provider, and she used a willwriter as they specialise in this area. The problem will a lot of willwriting companies though is that they can be more 'salesy' (is that a word?), but there are many very good people in that sector, as there are in the solicitor sector (I work in both). Regarding costs, if you go anywhere in the country, you could pay between £150 and £1,500 for a Will, so area does not matter greatly, which means of course, that there should always be someone well priced if you look. I hope that helps, and make sure you have a 5-10 minute chat before hiring someone, and remember you have 14 days to pull out if you don't feel comfortable after the meeting.  

The problem with the unregulated sector is that there is no comeback if years later a mistake is discovered that deprives a beneficiary of their inheritance. The risk might be low but the consequences could be disastrous.