FAQs
What do I have to do to give my loved ones security?
Every day wives, husbands and partners are left to live with much less than they should have, or even nothing and homeless, and children are put in care and families split up forever, and just because someone did not make a Will or a Will they made was not prepared properly.
To protect your loved ones from this all you have to do is make a Will. If you have already made a Will we can check it for defects in it at no cost to you.
Making a Will is morbid and the thought of it makes me unhappy. I am not going to go for years yet. Why should I make a Will now?
No-one likes making a Will but to protect your loved ones making a Will is essential.
We cannot live forever and one of the blessings in life is that we do not know when our time will be but it can come sooner than we thought.
Sadly only 1 in 3 adults make a Will and this can cause literally disastrous consequences for those left behind.
It is hard enough to lose someone but where no valid Will has been made this often causes the additional unnecessary misery and trauma of poverty, destitution, homelessness, children in care, families split up and the worry and stress of expensive lengthy legal proceedings to try to put matters right.
It is often not possible to reverse the consequences of not making proper provision in a Will.
How are my family better off if I make a Will?
If you do not make a Will your property may not pass to your nearest relatives as you think it will.
If you do not make a Will your property passes under the laws of intestacy which can create a far different result than you and your family would like. Your property can pass to relatives who don’t need anything or who you don’t like or to someone you’ve never heard of.
In some cases all your property can pass to the State.
If you make a Will your property passes exactly how you want it to.
Won’t my property pass automatically to my wife/husband?
If you are married and do not make a Will your husband or wife does not automatically receive everything.
Children can get a share leaving your husband or wife far worse off than they should be.
If you make a Will you can ensure your husband or wife receives everything you own. Most husbands and wives want to leave everything they own to the other spouse.
I live with my partner. Won’t my partner get everything?
If you have a partner and you die without leaving a Will your partner can end up with nothing.
The primary law governing who receives property where there is no Will is the Administration of Estates Act 1925. In 1925 very few people lived together without being married and so there is no protection in that statute for people who are partners and who have not married in a church or register office.
If you make a Will you can ensure that your partner receives all you wish them to have. Most couples in a partnership want to leave everything they own to the other partner.
Won’t my family be able to look after my children?
If you have a child and both parents die in an accident, or a single parent dies, the child can be placed in care for months and then have to live with people you would not wish them to.
If you have more than one child the children could be split up permanently.
If you make a Will you can appoint a guardian or guardians who would be able to look after your child or children immediately and save your children further unimaginable unhappiness.
Could I be affected by Inheritance Tax?
If you do not make a Will the government can take 40% of what you leave over the inheritance tax threshold. Any Government Budget can increase the threshold.
Your estate is valued at all you own but the value of freehold and leasehold property people own can easily put their estate over the threshold when for everything over it the government can take nearly half.
If you make a Will you can plan to legally avoid inheritance tax and prevent the tax collectors taking a great slice of all that you have worked hard for all your life.
Can I not just get a Will form and do it myself?
Although with the best intentions people who try to prepare a Will without the necessary knowledge invariably make mistakes.
Wills are complex documents with strict legal requirements and it is necessary to know how to prepare them properly.
There is no need to try to do yourself what may be the most important document you will ever make that takes years of learning and experience to do properly.
What about Wills from the internet?
Internet Wills at ridiculously low prices! Think about it. If you pay a few pounds for a Will how much effort is the person you are paying going to make to ensure your Will is prepared properly.
In life you usually get what you pay for and if you pay an internet company a few pounds for a complex legal document by people who prepare a Will by filling up a software form on a computer you are likely to save now while your relatives pay later.
People who set themselves up as Will writers without proper knowledge and experience invariably create Wills with provisions the persons making the Will do not want, but because these Will writers do not know the law and because people making Wills do not know the law either, the mistakes do not come to light until after the person making the Will dies and then the relatives may have to pay thousands of pounds to correct the mistakes made by the Will writers.
These Will writers also often persuade people to alter property provisions and so create more havoc because they do not know the legal repercussions of what they are doing.
I already have a Will. What does it cost to see if it was prepared properly?
If you have an existing Will we can check it for defects for you free of charge.
If you would like to make a new Will you will be pleasantly surprised at our moderate fees.
I find it difficult to travel.
By instructing us no travelling is necessary.
Why should DJC Wills & Probate prepare my Will?
Our greatest asset is that we care.
Our philosophy is that we are dealing with people, with all their own individual cares and worries, and we do our best to help them because they have come to us for our help.
We are a caring, polite firm who try to be sensitive to others’ feelings at all times.
We genuinely care about all our Clients.
We offer reasonable fees, a fast friendly thorough and efficient service with document preparation conducted entirely by people with knowledge and experience, but most of all to have what is probably the most important document of your life dealt with by someone whose prime concern, first and foremost always, is to look after you, and do their best, for you.