Making a Will?

CircleFaust · 9 Mar 2013 at 15:36

not one for the young un's on the forum

think i'd like to get one made up
how much does it cost roughly? how much to make changes?
how did you go about it?

thanks

Traffic_Warden · 9 Mar 2013 at 15:45

Give Power of Attorney to me and i'll sort everything, I promise.

*-

You can write your will yourself, but you should get legal advice, for example from Citizens Advice to make sure your will is interpreted in the way you wanted.

You need to get your will formally witnessed and signed to make it legally valid.

If you want to update your will, you need to make an official alteration (called a codicil) or make a new will.

gillywibble · 9 Mar 2013 at 15:49

I paid £150.

Salsa · 9 Mar 2013 at 16:39

Edit: NVM I read the thread title as 'Mating at will' so my reply is irrelevant.

/Salsa

Edrof · 9 Mar 2013 at 17:21

I've often wondered whether solicitor's overcharge for drawing up a will or whether it is a reasonable fee.

Biohazard · 9 Mar 2013 at 17:24

Edrof said:
I've often wondered whether solicitor's overcharge for drawing up a will or whether it is a reasonable fee.

Any sol that draws up a will should also keep a copy of it until the event happens.

I would imagine the cost reflects the retention as well.

Raymond Lin · 9 Mar 2013 at 17:28

Edrof said:
I've often wondered whether solicitor's overcharge for drawing up a will or whether it is a reasonable fee.

I guess it depends on how big your estate is and how complex it is.

If you are Alan Sugar and want to divide it amongst his family in different shares then you won't do it yourself and paying £150 for it would seem too cheap.

If you only have 1 house, 1 savings account with only 1 child then it would be straight forward and could do it yourself.

One of the hardest part in wills and probate is the wording of the will, there are the correct wording to say certain passage and the wrong way. You don't want to leave it with any ambiguity, this is where a solicitor comes in.

Korsun · 9 Mar 2013 at 18:29

My partner and I just had wills drawn up as we have a 3 year old and were concerned in case any thing happened. As someone else has mentioned we also paid £150 each

On Holiday · 9 Mar 2013 at 19:11

If it's simple, then around £75 sounds about right.

Transam · 9 Mar 2013 at 19:27

£100 for a straight "everything I own is hers" with a couple of bits thrown in. Getting Probate mind, can take ages after one part of the marriage/whatever has died.

PapaLazaru · 9 Mar 2013 at 21:00

https://www.gov.uk/make-will/overview

Do it yourself.

jamief · 9 Mar 2013 at 21:23

Edrof said:
I've often wondered whether solicitor's overcharge for drawing up a will or whether it is a reasonable fee.

Generally they make a loss (in terms of hours spent) writing a will, and make the money back on the estate after death.

Transam · 9 Mar 2013 at 21:30

PapaLazaru said:
https://www.gov.uk/make-will/overview

Do it yourself.

No, don't. Ever.

Transam · 9 Mar 2013 at 21:36

jamief said:
Generally they make a loss (in terms of hours spent) writing a will, and make the money back on the estate after death.

Well, they have to speak to you for a while, get witnesses, all that business - appoint an executor who isn't dodgy, check that you don't have someone with Power of Attorney over you, etc.
I think it's not a bad price, when you look at what plumbers charge?
I've had a will since I was 24, 36 now. It basically says "give it all to my mum, let her hand it out" and a seperate letter to my mum asking her who to give things to.

jaybee · 9 Mar 2013 at 21:44

Transam said:
..... It basically says "give it all to my mum, let her hand it out" and a seperate letter to my mum asking her who to give things to.

What? How does that work when your mum passes away before you then?

Raymond Lin · 9 Mar 2013 at 22:14

jaybee said:
What? How does that work when your mum passes away before you then?

Make a new one.

semi-pro waster · 10 Mar 2013 at 00:11

Edrof said:
I've often wondered whether solicitor's overcharge for drawing up a will or whether it is a reasonable fee.

It will depend on the solicitor - it's potentially quite complex, tedious and not always easy to get correct. However some solicitors don't really want to be drawing up wills when they could be doing other work which is more in keeping with their practice so will charge say £300 - it's enough to put off most people when they can get a will drawn up for ~£100 (or whatever) but it compensates them sufficiently if someone persists in demanding that particular solicitor draws up the will.

The_Abyss · 10 Mar 2013 at 00:20

It won't be that solicitor that does it anyway. Like house conveyancing it will be largely done by a trainee or other office junior.

A will ensures the wishes you make when you're alive are carried out when you're dead. It is worth investing in, particularly if you have even a slightly more complex situation that 'normal', such as children from different partners etc.