Serious Question about Wills, in the UK

[motoguzziman]

Pertaining to UK Law.
Ok, Going through a lot of problems with my parents at mo, Mum,s Alzheimers has got bad, & Dad,s leukemia is back, white cells rising.
Anyway He decides its time to make a will, and going by his normal solicitor, a pair of them came to the flat.
It cost whatever solicitors charge pr hr, then 500 quid, to register the wills, at some " House " or other.
Yet, the other day, I was browsing, and found the following

http://www.makeawillonline.co.uk/

And as you can see, its supposedly ok, for 35 quid ?
And no mention of a 500 quid registration fee at "whatever House "

Obviously, the money my dad has spent, is spent, so no point in trying to change that.

However, approaching 60, and with all these new money grabbing rules & regulations, I would like to have something on paper.
So the measly leftovers from taxation, don´t disappear into HMG coffers, as daylight robbery, because form : FKDBYGOV-3319
was not filled in correctly.

Anyone know anything about the legalities ? Ok or not ?

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Will]

I'm sorry to hear about your parents. I suspect the solicitors may have been taking advantage of their circumstances. I made a will which because of my family circumstances was far from straight forward and it didn't cost me that much and I don't recall having to pay to register it either (is it possible that any such fee could be deferred until death & paid by the estate?).

The good news is that a lot of legal firms have fixed fees for doing wills so shop around and ask. And I think there is a scheme run by the Law Society that does wills for free along the lines of a "National Make a Will Day" to encourage people to do it, so it might be worth asking them? Making a will is also a service my bank has offered me so yours might do too. Or you can also do it yourself. WH Smith sell 'will kits' with simple instructions on how to do it. Or there's online alternatives.

 

[Brian UK]

All you need for a will to be valid in England (some parts of the UK may differ) is for a written piece of paper which clearly states what the person wants, and which also gives the time and place of writing it to be signed by that person plus two independent witnesses ie, not related or beneficiaries of that will.
The online will writing service is more than adequate for legal purposes, but they do clearly say that if the person's affairs are at all complex, then further advice should be sought.
Complexities would be where there has been a former marriage with children etc, or foreign assets.
But in the normal case where a married person leaves everything to his/her spouse, or children if he/she outlives said spouse, then the simple system works fine.

Be aware of new banking rules regarding dementure and joint accounts.

Following the death of a relative, the will has to be taken to the Probate office, the Registrar of Deaths etc will give full information on that. I don't think they have a charge for their service, but might be wrong.

It is not uncommon for people to ask for a will to be stored in a safe place, like a solicitor's office (or bank) but there would be a charge for that.
Banks also charge for their will writing service. (when has a bank ever done something for nothing :lol: ).

The only "house" I can think of is Somerset House, where public records are kept, but I have never heard of any registration fee there. I'm no porfessional expert though.

 

[iainw]

My experience ties in with exactly what Brian UK says. Janet and I did our wills a few years ago, I can't remember the exact cost but it wasn't much, we did it through a financial services firm that had an offer on, it was very straight forward and we were advised to keep it simple. It went along the lines of..Who ever goes first the other gets the lot, if we both go together then the kids get 50/50.

Iain

 

[motoguzziman]

Thanks , I will update, as and when I get it sorted.
Cheers