It is important to recognise that without a Will, the state
decides who inherits your property and your relatives and
friends may therefore receive nothing at all. The process
of preparing a Will need not be very complex but does need
to be expertly handled to ensure that it is effective and
provides for the testator’s beneficiaries in a tax efficient
way. We are very willing to undertake home visits for those
who are infirm or unwell and therefore unable to attend our
office.
When a person dies, someone must deal with the administration
of the estate and where the deceased has left a Will, a Grant
of Probate is the Court’s authority to the executors
to administer the deceased person’s affairs. We are
happy to assist executors in this task and make the application
for the Grant of Probate. We also deal with the administration
of a deceased estate where there was no Will made (called
an intestacy).
It is recommended that you review your Will on a regular
basis, say every 3 years, to keep abreast of small changes
in your circumstances.
Significant changes in your circumstances may make it necessary
to make a new Will. This is particularly important in changes
relating to marital status. In many cases, marriage, children
and divorce may affect the validity of a Will. (In fact it
is important to note that getting married will invalidate
any Will made before marriage).
It is easy to make a new Will to account for altered circumstances
but you must remember that when you write your will, you should
state that it is your last Will – and that any previous
Wills and Codicils are revoked.
NB. Altering your will by crossing out or adding words may
invalidate it in the eyes of the law.
For minor alterations, you may just need to add a Codicil.
A Codicil is simply an addition or alteration to the existing
will so you can add extra gifts or alter amounts being shared
without making a completely new Will. This is particularly
relevant if you decide you wish to leave a legacy to a charity.
If you are considering making a bequest to a charity in your
Will, you may wish to consider one of the following charities,
that we as a firm try to support:-
The Orpheus Centre - www.orpheus.org.uk
CHASE Hospice -
www.chasecare.org.uk
back to top
|
