What should I do - will ?

madbadrob

FlorayG said:

madbadrob said:

Leaving nothing to a child is fraught with danger.  They can contest the will under the inheritance act of 1975 stating they have not received "reasonable financial provision".  

 Its been mentioned that some solicitors will provide wills free for charity.  This is an excellent idea but its technically not free because there as to be a gift to the said charity in the will or in some occasions a donation at the time of making the will.  

Rob

Children can only contest under 'reasonable provision' if the benefactor has been making provision previous to death. If you've been giving your child £100 a month for years then you are deemed to have a responsibility for that amount after your death. If the child has been totally self-supporting and rarely in contact, this doesn't apply.

That is not correct.  Under the Inheritance Act any child can dispute a will if they are disinherrited and if the child is still a minor should contest the will.  Adult children can also dispute a will (see this case study that I found after a quick google https://www.inheritancedisputes.co.uk/case-studies/what-to-do-if-your-parents-disinherit-you)  That particular firm state elsewhere on their pages that the adult making the claim would have to show they were in need of the money.  ( see https://www.inheritancedisputes.co.uk/news-articles/can-disinherited-children-dispute-a-will.html)  This is echoed on many other sites.  

Rob