Last Will & Testament

NWLondoner

What a cheerful subject :shock:


I need to make a simple will but want to do it without having to pay a bunch of solicitors an exorbitant fee.

I have no property or significant other/children. Would just be cash/insurance money and possessions left to 1 or 2 family members, plus some instructions on how to remove my body from this world.

Are the DIY Wills worth the paper they are written on?

inkyfingers

A small investment in a proper will now will save an awful lot of ptential issues after your death. A good local solicitor shouldn't charge the earth, for a simple will it's probably only an hours work for them and ensures that there are no arguments when you die and that your money goes to exactly where you want it to go.

Squillinossett

Your looking about £90 - £150 for a will to be written by a Bank, upto £200 from a solicitor.

I simply cant see a reason why one would choose to do a DIY will with the cost of a will been very small in comparison to the potential issues it can cause for grieving family in the event of your death.

CiB

Google for Will Writing Services +<your area> to find local ones. They needn't cost the earth esp for a simple one, but they should spot and deal with any potential bear-traps. Everyone thinks it's simple; it can be but as per prev responses you're opening a can of worms if you leave any ambiguities.

shouldbeinbed

DIY on this is a false economy

Buckled_Rims

Look for a solicitor is my advice. My experience is based on my mother's death and she not leaving a will. I wont go into detail but it was a f**king legal nightmare on top of me being highly emotional for months after. The system expects everyone to leave a proper valid will, and if there's anything wrong with a, say, DIY will then you've left your loved ones with a nightmare.

The decision is should you spend £100 on a will or leave your benefactors with a (upto) £500 bill sorting out your estate.

schweiz

If you're over 55 then you can have your will prepared by a solicitor through the Cancer Research 'Will for Free' scheme.

http://legacies.cancerresearchuk.org/ho ... s-service/

You don't have to, but most people donate what would have been the cost of the will writing fee to Cancer Research in their will.

verylonglegs

Can only echo the previous replies, get it done properly. Some things in life you can economise on, this isn't one of them.

DIESELDOG

NWLondoner wrote:

What a cheerful subject :shock:


I need to make a simple will but want to do it without having to pay a bunch of solicitors an exorbitant fee.

I have no property or significant other/children. Would just be cash/insurance money and possessions left to 1 or 2 family members, plus some instructions on how to remove my body from this world.

Are the DIY Wills worth the paper they are written on?

Nope. Currently have not a lot, potentially a different matter, not worth screwing up people who will be sad enough to see you go.

One thing that needs to be done, so do it and do it properly.

Just my twopenneth.

Love n hugs

DD

skyd0g

+1 to the above, get it done properly by a solicitor.

Sketch out your intentions beforehand, a solicitor would then get it properly written-up so that there's no grey areas for a minimal fee.

kitebeast

Hi there, if you are in a work Union they should be able to help you out and get a Will done for free, our Union (GMB) offers this service to it's members. But get one done.

Drysuitdiver

kitebeast wrote:

Hi there, if you are in a work Union they should be able to help you out and get a Will done for free, our Union (GMB) offers this service to it's members. But get one done.

thats also a bit of a lottery. they write a very simple will for free but add in any complicatios and it starts to mount up dearer than going to your own solicitor.

10 years ago just after we got married we spent £150 for the joint wills with some complex bits in ( who will get what if X,Y and Z happens)

had it reveiwed last year, (for free by the same solicitor !) and nothing needed changing.

Ollieda

If you've ever studied equity law and seen what can happen then the idea of a DIY will or simply not having one would seriously worry you!

As everyone else has said, go to a solicitor. If it's something simple like all to your wife/partner or all to you children then it won't take long and wont be too expensive. If thiings are more complicated (kids all over the place, donations to charities / organisations, trust funds for kids) then it might cost more due to the time involved but just have everything written down nice and clearly explaining what you want to happen and the solicitor should be able to sort it easily

Nuggs

Ollieda wrote:

If you've ever studied equity law

you will have glimpsed a vision of hell...

BigG67

Also avoid the bank option. We looked into it and normally they would be appointed as the executors and so charge a high fee at that stage.

We went to a local solicitor, it was totally painless (even darkly funny at times) and the bill was £150, which included storage...which given my ability to loose things was nice!

ademort

I asked a similar question last year on the forum as my Father was in the same boat. My Father was against getting a will drawn up by a solicitor under any circumstances and i could not get him to change his attitude even after showing him the BikeRadar thread on the subject at the time. Eventually my Father got a d.i.y. will form from the post office and filled out the will in our local pub with two of his best friends as witnesses. He also made my Brother-in-law the executor. My Father died in March and luckily as there is no property involved the will goes to probate. Dont know the whole story but this involves my Brother-in-law going for an interview and the cost of this will be £180.This is as far as we,ve got at the moment but according to my Sister there should be no problem and the bank are also satisfied that everything is in order. Just for the record there are only three beneficiaries in my Fathers will, me, my Brother and Sister.
Ademort

BearPear

My mum-in-law had a DIY will. She left everything to her 2 sons and named her brother-in-law as executor. It was straightforward and went to probate without a problem.

When his aunt died my husband did all the organising, he did probate and everything. It didn't cost much (compared to solicitors who truly will leech you dry!)

If your estate is straightforward and you have no dependants or complicated trusts then I think a DIY will would be fine. Hubby found out how to sort everything out on-line, I thnk that the Government site has lots of useful info, Direct.Gov is the site.

yenrod

NWLondoner wrote:

What a cheerful subject :shock:


I need to make a simple will but want to do it without having to pay a bunch of solicitors an exorbitant fee.

I have no property or significant other/children. Would just be cash/insurance money and possessions left to 1 or 2 family members, plus some instructions on how to remove my body from this world.

Are the DIY Wills worth the paper they are written on?

God, the things you get on this site !

GODS VOICE - 'dont worry my son, you'll be fine...'

:shock: