A Will is a legal document that specifies your wishes on how your estate is dealt with, distributed and loved ones are cared for. Making a Will is one of the most important legal documents you can have, yet only 46% of UK adults have made a valid Will.

If there is no Will on death, then you are known to have died ‘Intestate’. The Laws of Intestacy rules determine ultimately how your estate is distributed. There are no guarantees that your estate will pass to loved ones as you would wish, this could lead to loved ones and family members left financially vulnerable or can cause arguments within families at a time of stress and sadness.

Whilst everyone should make a Will, it’s extremely important for un-married couples that co-habit with their partners or live in multifamily households. The number of older people in England & Wales getting married and divorced have risen over the past decade, therefore families with children from previous relationships leads to the risk of inheritance falling outside of the original family bloodline.

 Current Intestacy rules do not provide any protection for co-habitees or surviving occupants of the deceased property as they are not immediate beneficiaries under current laws. This could lead to financial hardship, disputes or claims on the estate along with family arguments at an already stressful time. This is why suitable planning should be sought. 

Making a Will is simply not a one size fits all and a standard Will may not be enough for the complexities of modern life. Therefore trusts are utilised to give added protection of the estate for surviving partners/spouses and children to ensure assets go to the right people, at the right time and in the right way.”