Latest News
Probate & Wills
Make
a Will
Many people feel that making a Will is somehow "tempting fate"
and that there is plenty of time. However, It is a sad fact that seven
out of ten people in the UK die without a Will, yet making a Will is relatively
straightforward and not very expensive. When a person dies without a proper
Will, delays, hardship and worry - and even costly legal bills can result
if there is confusion and disagreement among those left behind. If you
should die without a Will or if your Will is deemed to be invalid, that
is if it wasn't completed or signed correctly, then you are said to have
died intestate. It is not sufficient to think that you have told your
relatives how you want your estate divided and, unfortunately, there have
been many family feuds caused by the lack of a proper Will. Don't delay,
if you haven't made a Will, even if you think you have very little to
leave.
Probate
When someone dies it is normally the task of relatives or
friends of the deceased to "administer" the estate,
that is the money, property and possessions left and by collecting
in all the money, paying any debts and distributing the estate
to those people entitled to it. The term probate often means
the issuing of a legal document to one or more people authorising
them to do this. The probate registry issues the document,
which is called a grant of representation. It may not be necessary
to obtain a grant, for example where a home is held in joint
names or where a joint bank or building society account is
held, production of a death certificate may be sufficient
for the monies to be transferred to the joint holder. It is
imperative to take advice, as there may be Inheritance Tax
due that must be paid.
Download factsheet - Click here
Find a solicitor in your area - Click here
How to write your own will - Click here
Here you will find useful resources related to the subject matter of probate & wills.
 |
||||||||||||||
|
Related article: Where there's
a will, there's a way - The purpose of a will is to establish
exactly what happens to your estate when you pass away. There's
a lifetime of stuff - belongings, money, property - which needs
to be distributed when you're gone. Read
more