A Will is the only place where you can appoint a Guardian for your children. If you die without having made a Will, that opportunity will have been lost. If you are a parent of young children, including those not yet born, there is of course a strong desire to protect their future if anything [...]
If you have made a Will, the legal process in dealing with your affairs will be easier and much less painful during what is already a difficult time for your loved ones. However, where a Will has not been made, the individual will have died intestate. This means that Letters of Administration must be applied for [...]
Making a Will is probably even more important if you are an unmarried couple (or a same sex couple who have not entered into a civil partnership). There is no such legal status as "common law" husband or wife, and there are no provisions for unmarried couples under the current intestacy rules. Therefore your partner [...]
By making a Will you retain control over who will receive your assets when you die. You are able to distribute your property as you wish, place age restrictions as to when children may inherit, and even create trusts for the protection of assets into the future. However, if you haven't made a valid Will [...]
If you die without making a Will, you will have died Intestate. This means that your Estate (all that you own, such as; property, possessions, cars, cash, works of art, jewellery, savings, investments, insurances and your personal belongings), will be distributed in accordance with the Intestacy Rules as laid down by law. These rules of [...]
Making a Will is probably the most important document you will ever make, and by doing so you will have provided properly for your loved ones left behind at the most distressing time of all. If you die without having made a Will, it could well mean that your family has to endure very difficult [...]
YES. An EPA made before October 2007 will still be valid for your property and financial affairs. However, you will still need to make your Lasting Power of Attorney for Health and Care Decisions as this is not covered under the provisions of your EPA.
NO. Your Lasting Power of Attorney will only be valid in England & Wales. If you move to Scotland or Northern Ireland then you must make your LPA's relative to their own administration.
If you do not make an LPA and later become unable to make certain decisions for yourself, there may be a time when no one can legally make decisions for you. This can make managing your affairs very difficult, and tasks such as paying bills, paying for care costs, and making decisions about your future [...]
If you owned your property jointly with your spouse, and they were your only Attorney, then your partner would not be able to sell your home. This is because Attorneys cannot make decisions which benefit themselves, and selling the house would not be viewed as them acting independently. In this situation the property would first [...]