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.
Here you will find useful resources related to the subject matter of probate & wills.
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