I’m married, do I need a will?
Whatever your relationship status, you might have questions about whether you need to make a will. We take a look at some of our clients’ most frequently asked questions on the effect of getting married (or divorced) on your will. I’m not married. Will my partner inherit my estate? If you die…
Buying a house with friends - Frequently Asked Questions
This week, we joined in with a Law Society Twitter discussion about buying a house with friends. If you weren’t able to join in #SolicitorChat, here are our answers to the questions. 1. How many people can become owners of a single property? What rights do they have? Up to four people. They…
Is making a will your New Year's Resolution?
Last week, we joined in with a Law Society Twitter discussion about how people can make making a will their new year’s resolution for 2020. If you weren’t able to join in #SolicitorChat, here are our answers to the questions. 1. Talk us through the process of making a will and how a…
Joint property ownership
Joint tenants v tenants in common When you buy a property with another person or people, you can either buy as ‘joint tenants’ or ‘tenants in common’. It is important to consider both options to decide which is the most suitable for your circumstances. Clients often ask us…
Wills and jointly owned assets - Q&A
We participated in #SolicitorChat on Twitter this morning, answering questions about Wills and jointly owned assets. Andrew Milburn from our Wills and Probate team was on hand to answer the questions. If you were not able to follow the chat live, we set our answers out below: 1. If someone dies…
Probate fee hike dropped by the Government. Again.
Last week, the Government announced that it has dropped its planned probate fee hike. What are the current fees? Fees are paid to the Probate Registry when you make an application for a Grant of Representation following someone’s death. Not all estates require a grant. However, if the estate…
Leaving a gift to charity in your will - Q&A
We participated in #SolicitorChat on Twitter this morning, answering questions about how solicitors can help you include a gift to charity in your will. Andrew Milburn from our Wills and Probate team was on hand to answer the questions. If you were not able to follow the chat live, we set our…
New statistics about wills in the UK
Wills by nature are not something people think a lot about and are often associated with the elderly. Recent research carried out by Royal London, YouGov, IRN Research and Orchard has revealed some interesting statistics about wills. Here are some of the most striking statistics: 5.4 million…
Dealing with Social Media Estates and Digital Assets
Dealing with a social media estates and digital assets Dealing with a deceased person’s estate involves gathering in their assets and distributing them in accordance with their will. If there is no will the ‘rules of intestacy’ apply. Finding out what assets a person had used to…
Probate Fee Increases – are they really just a sneaky stealth tax?
The government’s recent announcement to increase probate fees has drawn significant criticism from many parties. Andrew Milburn, Head of our Probate and Estate Administration department discusses why. What are Probate Fees? Probate Fees are fees payable to the Probate Registry when an application…