Making a will is easy with our simple will writing service.
Our will writing service is approved by the College of Will Writing.
Call us
0330 113 0740
Email us
info@amaryllisassociates.com
We are open from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday.
We are closed on bank holidays.
How much does it cost to make a will?
Single will from £150
Make will just for you, whether or not you’re in a relationship
Mirror wills from £245
Make a will with someone else who has similar wishes to yours
Trust wills from £399
Make a will with increased asset protection and flexibility
Lasting power of attorney from £120
Appoint someone to make decisions on your behalf
All prices are inclusive of VAT.
All wills are stored free of charge for your lifetime.
The fixed fee we quote is the fee you pay. There will be no nasty surprises.
We make will writing easy with our range of will writing services, including telephone and face to face services. Our fixed cost will writing services include free, secure storage. The fixed fee we quote is the fee you pay. There will be no surprises.
As part of our values of openness, honesty, social responsibility and caring for others are core to the service we provide.
For initial advice about making a will or to get a fixed cost quote call our will writers.
Call now on 0330 113 0740
What happens if I die without making a will?
If you live in England or Wales and die without writing a legally valid will, the government will decide who gets what. If you have no living family members, all your property and possessions will go to the Crown. If you have children under 18 years old, other people can make decisions about who will take care of the children and manage their finances, education and living arrangements. By making a will you can specify your wishes.
What exactly is a will?
A will is a legal document that allows you to state what should happen to your assets (your money, property, investments and possessions) as well as your young children after you have passed away.
There are different types of will available, and they each suit different needs. Is the will just for you or you and your partner? A basic will for a single person is known as a single will and is best for people who want to record their own individual wishes. If your wishes are very similar to someone else’s (typically your partner or spouse) then you may want to make standard mirror wills together.
Alternatively there are various trust wills available. These may be more suitable if, for example, you want to provide for your partner bust also have children from a previous relationship. A trust will can also help to protect your estate against care home fees, or it can be used to protect inheritance if a beneficiaries is unable to manage their finances.
By making a will you can:
- appoint people you trust to look after your children under 18 years (called guardians)
- appoint people you trust to carry out the terms of your will (called executors)
- name the people or charities you want to benefit from your estate (called beneficiaries)
- leave gifts of specific items or fixed sums of money (called legacies)
- create trusts to help protect your assets for future generations, protect against residential care costs or help vulnerable or disabled beneficiaries
- state your funeral wishes
Your will deals with your belongings (such as your property, bank accounts and personal possessions) that you own at the time of your death, not at the time you write your will. So even if you don’t have much to leave now, your financial situation could change significantly in the future, particularly if you expect to have paid off your mortgage or are likely to receive an inheritance at some point.
Making a will clarifies your wishes and enables you to give your loved ones financial protection after you die. If you are a couple with similar wishes you may want to make mirror wills, which are separate wills that mirror one another, with each person leaving their assets to each other or the same beneficiaries.
How to make a will
Many people assume that making a will is complicated, but with the right advice and a specialist will writer to help you every step of the way, we make the will writing process easy.
Before you start to think about how to make a will, there are some decisions that you’re going to need to make.
These include:
- which type of will you want to make
- who you’d like to inherit from you
- who you’d like to look after your children (if they’re under 18)
- whether you’d like to leave anything to charity
- who you’d like to deal with your estate after you die
When you’re ready to start the process of making a will, you can speak to our will writing team to ask any initial questions and start the process of making your will.
What types of gifts can I include in my will?
When you’re writing your will, there are a number of ways you can divide your estate:
- a fixed sum of money ( such as £5,000 to your nephew) is called a pecuniary bequest
- a specific item (such as a family heirloom or piece of jewellery) is called a specific bequest
- a percentage of your estate (after everything else has been paid off) is called a residuary bequest
Can an executor of a will also be a beneficiary?
Yes they can. There is no reason why any family member, friend or anyone else benefiting from your will cannot be an executor, as long as they are over 18. Perhaps a more important question to ask is, are they willing and able to be an executor? It’s worth having this conversation with them first if you’re unsure.
Do I need a will if I don't own a house?
It’s a common belief that it’s only worthwhile making a will if you own your own home, or other significant assets. But this isn’t the case, because a will deals with far more than just property ownership.
What if I don't have anything to leave?
Virtually everyone has something to leave behind even if it’s just their personal possessions. However, even if you may not have much money or property now, that doesn’t mean thats you will not have more leave in the future. Do you play the lottery? Are you likely to receive an inheritance from a relative? As no one reallyy knows when they are likely to die or how much they will own, the safest cours of action is to write a will so your wishes are clear.
Tips for writing a will if you have young children
The first thing to consider is who you would choose to look after your children if you die. If you currently have parental responsibility over your children and they are under 18 years old, then you can appoint a guardian for your children in your will. This appointment only takes effect if there is no one else with parental responsibility over your children when you die.
You can also include your children as beneficiaries in your will even if they are young. You should decided at what age you would like your children to access their inheritance (often 18, 21 or 25). While the child is under that age, their inheritance will be held in a trust and managed on their behalf by people called trustees, who can also be appointed in your will.
Can I include funeral wishes in my will?
Absolutely, you can go into as much detail as you like but bear in mind that this particular aspect of your will is just an expression of a wish and is not legally binding on your executors.
Can a will help protect my home against potential care home fees?
Yes, writing a trust will can be an effective way to protect your home or savings against care homes fees in the future.
I'm not married to my partner - should i make a will?
Inheritance laws in England and Wales do not currently make allowances for partners who aren’t married or in a registered civil partnership. If you would like your partner to inherit from you after you die and you’re not married, then you should make a will stating your wishes.
How does getting married affect your will?
When you get married or enter a registered civil partnership, this automatically voids any existing will you have. The only way your will won’t be voided by marriage or civil partnership is if you have included specific terminology in your will that references your upcoming wedding or civil partnership.
If you have got married or entered into a civil partnership, it’s important to make a new will.
Making a will and mental capacity
To make a will, you have to fully understand what you are doing and its implications. This is known as having mental capacity. You need to have capacity to understand what you are doing at the time the will is made and also at the time it is signed in the presence of the two witnesses.
There are four things that must exist at the same time to prove testamentary capacity. A person must:
- understand that the document will deal with the distribution of their estate when they die
- understand what’s in their estate (this doesn’t mean every individual asset and liability, or their exact values but there must be a general awareness)
- understand if there are people who could have a moral claim on their estate, regardless of whether that person os included as a beneficiary in their will
- not be suffering from a ‘disorder of the mind’
Our will writing service makes the process easy
Making a will can be quick and easy if you use a will writing service to provide you with the right guidance and support. At Amaryllis Associates, our will writing services provides you with a specialists to help you complete each step of the process, from start to finish. Our will writing advisors can discuss your wishes, offer recommendations and help you to make a will that’s right for you and your circumstances.
Here are the ways you can write a will with us; telephone will writing service or face to face will writing service.
Can any of my beneficiaries be a witness when I am making my will?
No. A beneficiary in your will should not be a witness to you signing it. The spouse or civil partner of the beneficiary should not be a witness either. If they do witness your will, their gift could fail.
Where should I store my will?
Your will should be stored somewhere safe, where your executors know to find it. When you write a will with us, we can securely store the original will for you, completely free of charge, for the rest of your life. Alternatively, you can choose to store your will yourself.
If your will is stored with us then your executor will need to contact us to inform us when you have died. We can then release your original Will from our secure storage facility.
We will confirm the identity of the executor and offer free help and guidance to make sure they know their responsibilities. We can also offer our professional assistance if needed.
Can my will be challenged?
Yes – all wills can be challenged. The real question is ‘can my will be successfully challenged?’
If your will includes your nearest relatives and dependants such as your husband, wife or civil partner and your children, there is little reason why your will should be challenged. But, if you exclude someone who might expect to benefit from your will, or there is a suggestion that you do not have mental capacity or have been influenced or coerced whilst making your will, then there is a real possibility your will could be challenged.
You can reduce the risk of a successful challenge by getting your will professionally drafted with the help of a will writing specialist. A properly drafted will is more likely to hold up to any future challenge.
Talking to your family and loved ones about your will is also important, particularly if you are going to exclude them. This prevents questions about your motivation after you’ve died. alternatively, you could write a letter to your executors which sets out the reasons why you’ve excluded a particular person from the will. This is called a Letter of Wishes and it can be stored with your will.
What does undue influence mean in will writing?
Undue influence refers to an individual being influenced by another person to make a will or amend their existing will in a way that does not reflect their true wishes, usually for that person’s benefit.
Typical examples of undue influence include making a will under force, fear or threat from another person. If someone has lied or been deceitful to influence your choices in your will, this could also be undue influence.
If your will contains an unexpected gift or contradicts your previously expressed wishes, then usually it’s a good idea to take measures to reduce the risk of it being challenged on the grounds of undue influence after you die.
At Amaryllis Associates, our will writers carry out checks to ensure you’re not acting under undue influence of someone else. These checks will be recorded and can be called upon if your will is ever challenged in the future.
There is no such thing as writing a standard will
There is only one of you and your will is personal to you circumstances, your wishes and your assets. when making a will you need to consider questions such as:
- who will look after your children?
- what will happen to your home?
- what will happen to your pets?
- will Inheritance Tax (IHT) be payable on your estate?
These are just a few of the points we’ll cover with you as part of our will writing service.
Have you got a question about making a will? you can get free initial guidance with our will writing service, so please feel free to get in touch. Our Head of Wills and expert will writer will answer all your questions.
