The real cost of Homemade Wills

The cost of a Will by a professional solicitor may seem expensive, but in reality you simply cannot afford to make a Will without professional advice or expertise. Your Will is likely to be the single most important legal document you will sign and yet some people risk everything by making homemade Wills or Wills through businesses with little experience or qualifications because they offer a supposedly low cost service.

If you are considering making a Will it is important that you receive correct and individually-tailored advice and that the Will drafted accurately reflects your wishes and is validly executed.

The cost of mistakes can be enormous and devastating for your loved ones. The simple fact that a Will is not witnessed correctly can make the document void and subsequently your estate would be distributed in accordance with the ‘intestacy rules’, these rules dictate how your estate will be split if you die without a valid Will and do not necessarily reflect modern family units or an individual’s wishes. For example if you and your partner are not married they may not be entitled to any of your estate. You may also be surprised to learn that without a Will and without any prescribed family members your estate could pass entirely to the Crown!! Further for someone with a reasonably sized estate if you have a spouse and children, your children may be entitled to a sizeable proportion on the death of one spouse and the surviving spouse may be left without adequate income and capital.

DIY Wills are notoriously difficult to administer even if they are valid, which many are not. This is due to a lack of clarity in the terms of the Will. By not using standard legal language you leave your Will open for interpretation. If the beneficiaries are not happy with the interpretation they may challenge the Will’s contents which could cost your estate thousands of pounds in legal bills.

You may have seen many adverts for ‘Professional Wills’ made by ‘experienced and professional will writers’ for a ludicrously low cost in your local newspapers and may be tempted by the purported experience and qualification of these people. The unfortunate reality is that many of these businesses use the offer of the low price to gain access to your home and have no real expertise or qualifications. Once they are in your home they will reveal many hidden costs such as high costs for copies and storage and by using high-pressure sales tactics advise you against making a standard Will, forcing you to agree to complex Wills in an effort to save inheritance tax or nursing home fees for a much higher price then originally quoted. Many of these ‘complex’ Wills are poorly drafted and ineffective for the purposes described.  

By instructing a firm of solicitors such as Sandersons to draw up your Will you will have the comfort of knowing your instructions are being dealt with by a long-established firm with highly experienced and qualified staff. Further you will be advised at the outset of the costs involved in preparing your Will.

If you are worried about your existing Will or would like more information about making a Will please contact Leah Kuc at our Beverley Offices.

Tel:       01482 324662

Fax:      01482 860118

e-mail:   lkuc@sandersonssolicitors.co.uk

 Source:  Humber Landlords Association, September 2009