Dear all
Does anyone have recent experience of writing a will? It’s way beyond time for me to get my affairs in order and I have spoken to a social worker at my local hospice who recommended a solicitor who would come and visit…but the cost seems (if I heard correctly) exorbitant: £340 + VAT. I do live in London, but still. Essentially, my will would be very straight forward as I have no dependents and would be leaving the majority to my sister with some bequests to friends. I have seen that there are ‘online’ wills, does anyone have any knowledge of these? Failing that, I would welcome any advice. I have looked into local solicitors…average charge around £100 + VAT.
Thanks very much
Alison
Hi Alison,
My OH and I sorted our wills a while ago as we have dependents, but we are currently experiencing the fall out from a relative’s badly worded will, still not completed probate and distribution about a year after it could have been. I know that there are “off the shelf” wills (WH Smith used to do one, not sure if they do now) but would always be cautious, as the wording is so important.
I would always advocate using a solicitor that has been recommended, however £340 does sound excessive!
Good luck,
Christine
Should have added - if you are in London I can recommend a solicitor in East Molesey. PM me if you want more information.
Best wishes,
Christine
Hi Alice ,
I was in the local post office on friday in a q when I spotted a will pack think it was 9.99
hope this helps
lizzy c
£300+ does sound excessive. Hubby and I did ours for £150 each at our local solicitors. May be worth phoning a few for a quote…the price varies but the end result is still the same!!
Lots of luck Bethy xx
Tawny
our local hospital charity was running a free will service in February (there was a list of solicitors that were taking part) and all you had to do was make a donation to the hospital charity. keep your eyes peeled and ask around for a scheme in your area - citizens advice, local library, your hospital/hospice, local solicitors etc.
Best of luck and, in the meantime, write your wishes down and get them witnessed - after all that is all a will is anyway.
Blondie
Hi
The first thing I did when I was diagnosed was write a will. I am a single parent, home owner and my son was 18 at the time. As i wanted to ‘protect’ him from himself (getting a house/money at a young age) I added a trust till he was 25. This cost around 250.00, although I was initially quoted around 150.00 for a straightforward one.
Id def shop around to get the right deal-hope this additional hassle is’nt impacting on your quality of life.
Cathie xx
Loads of really good advice there, Tawny. I used a ‘will making’ specialist to do my first will around twenty years ago… these are not firms of solicitors but people who specialise in wills (some solicitors disapprove of them) and can often do a lot of the work by phone, letter or email. The firm I use (based in Cheshire, where I lived back then) give me a free update every three years, which means that I don’t waste energy worrying about that side of things. As well as disposal of my assets, it covers my funeral preferences (burial or cremation), provision for my pet cat, and any restrictions I want to place on bequests. It has the advantage that they guided me on forms of words that are helpful rather than problematic. As part of the package, I get secure storage for my will and a set of original documents, including a copy of my letter to be read after my demise, which lists what I want to happen to my personal effects. Although I am lucky enough to be a NED primary girl, it gives me a sense of liberation rather than forboding to know that that side of things is more of less taken care of.
I hope you find a solution that works for you, and that, as Cathie has siad, it does not detract from your enjoyment or quality of life now.
every year they run will aid,where local solictors who sign up to the scheme and will do your will for free,you just give a contibution to a charity of your choice.I am not sure if this scheme is running at the moment but i know it is done annually. Just google will aid.
L xx
Hi tawny,my hubby and I did an online will which cost £70 and was easy to fill in.We received a copy about a week later,
Di.x
What a coincidence! Wowcher currently has an offer for a will writing service - £18 instead of £160 (from Mitchell Hodge Associates) for a professional single will, or £29.99 for a mirror will. May be worth having a look…
Thank you so much for all your replies. I’m going to have a little snoop around and then take the plunge. Feels a bit scary but I know it’s time I got organised.
Best wishes to you all.
Alison
And now there’s a DIY on-line version for £10 on Living Social! I should get one sorted, too…
Hi tawny, you’ve maybe done now but thought I’d reply anyway. i did my will just last week through my family lawyer, the will it’self was £98. As well as the will, he advised I put in place a power of attorney so in the event of me not being here, there are people that are authorised through the court to manage ‘my world’. The cost for that was around £200ish which would bring it in line with what you’ve been quoted. My advice I would be to check if the power of attorney is included, if it is then it sounds like a fair price. If not then I would shop around… Good luck xx