Probate Solicitors

Have you ever seen Heir Hunters? It’s all about what happens to people’s wealth if they haven’t written a Will. Control is relinquished into the hands of the court and the government will choose where best to redistribute your wealth. It could go to very distant family members you’ve never heard of or met, or it could end up back in the Crown’s and government’s own coffers.

Recent research has shown that over half of the people in UK have not made a will. In fact, the Times has reported that the value of estates belonging to people who died without a Will or heirs has almost doubled in 12 months. In 2012, the Treasury and the Duchies of Cornwall and Lancaster had benefited to the tune of £38.5 million. This is money that, had a Will been drawn up, may have benefited family members or friends instead.

Absolutely! Many people have a change of circumstance over their lives and will need to make a change to their Will. This could be adding new assets to your Will, changing your beneficiaries or any other other wishes you might have. You can contact us for further advice to begin changing your Will.

Unfortunately, the UK has no provision for ‘Common Law Husband and Wife’. This means that unmarried couples are not recognised as conjoined in the eyes of the law. If one partner dies without leaving a Will, then the surviving partner will not automatically inherit anything unless they jointly owned property together. As an unmarried couple, it’s very import than you draw up the proper Wills to make sure that your surviving partners can inherit from you.

Wills are not just for the elderly. If you have no partner or children and you don’t write a Will, then your wealth will be redistributed back to your parents. Whilst this might be agreeable to most, there are some unhappy circumstances where this might, in fact, not be to your liking. Say for example you were estranged from one of your parents at birth. You might not feel it is right to automatically redistribute wealth equally between two parents. If no one can be found, then according the laws of intestacy, your wealth could ultimately be redistributed to the Crown or Treasury. Or, in happier circumstances, you might wish to leave parts of your estate to charities or friends. Having a proper Will drawn up will enable you to do this.

No. If you do not wish to leave a lump sum to your beneficiary, you can leave a trust fund instead. Trust funds are often left to people who are under 18, but you can leave a trust fund according to various kinds of circumstances. A trust fund can either pay out when the beneficiary reaches a certain age, or it can pay out an allowance until the fund is depleted. There are various stipulations you can request, if you wish. Perhaps you’d only like the money to be used for education, or the purchase of a first home. As it’s your money, you can decide the circumstances under which it will be given.

The responsibility of working out tax returns, tax relief, allowable deductions and working out the correct amount of Inheritance Tax due is one of the responsibilities of the executors. However, the myriad of forms can be quite complicated, so we are on hand to help you complete the Grant of Representation and to make the process easier for you. Though we are not accountants, we can also advise you to some degree on Inheritance Tax planning. We can also assist in helping to sell the estate once Probate has been granted.