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Wills and Codicil Service

A cheap will could cost you dearly
Some companies write wills for as little as £25.00 but a cheap will could be a terrible mistake. There are 3 main problems:

1. Incompetence

Anyone can set up as a will writer and many wills that are prepared by unqualified people are so poorly drafted that they are not worth the paper that they are written on.

2. Dishonesty

There are regular stories in the press about dishonest will writers stealing money from deceased persons’ estates.

3. Excessive probate fees

Many Banks, Solicitors and Will writers offer cheap Wills at a loss, so that they can write themselves into the Will as an Executor. Unfortunately this means that when the time comes, they can hold your beneficiaries to ransom over Probate fees when they administer the Estate. Fees of 3, 4 or 5 times the proper rate are not uncommon.

Final Duties can help you resolve these problems:
We specialise in writing high quality face to face wills. The key benefits of our service are:

All wills are prepared by professionally qualified and fully insured will writers.
You will meet your will writer face to face so that they can discuss your wishes properly.
Final Duties will never write itself into your will as executors without your express permission.
Will storage in a secure fireproof facility is available if required at an extra charge.

Prices

*Single wills from £199 including VAT
*Mirrored wills from £249 including VAT

A Codicil can save the day
If a Bank, Solicitor or Will writing company is already named in your Will as an Executor or joint Executor, instead of making a new Will, we can prepare a simple legal Codicil document to remove them. A small investment of just £69 including VAT now, could save your beneficiaries many thousands of pounds in the future.

Executor Services
If you do not have a suitable relative or trusted friend to act as an Executor, you can appoint one of our panel Solicitors. If you do so, they will give you a written guarantee to provide your beneficiaries with a fixed-fee quotation before work commences. If the quotation is not acceptable, our panel Solicitor will renounce their appointment unless there are legal reasons that prevent them from so doing. There is no extra charge for this.

Avoid the problem with Probate Pre-Payment
If you are a senior citizen or have a reduced life expectancy, we can provide you with a free quotation for our unique Probate pre-payment plan. This allows you to fix your Probate costs at today’s prices. Click here for full details of Probate pre-payment.

The Next Step
To arrange a will writing appointment, call us now on: 0800 731 8722.

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Hello I’m Claire Sendall and I’m talking today to Adam Walker, Managing Director of Final Duties, about wills.

Q. Adam, why do people need to write a will?
A. If you don’t write a will then your assets may not go to the people who you would want to have them. Everyone should write a will.

Q. Can people write their own will?
A. Yes they can but I would advise against it. One tiny mistake can render the will invalid. It really is a job for a professional.

Q. How should people choose a will writer?
A. Incredibly will writing is a completely unregulated profession – anyone can set up a business as a will writer. It is essential to check that the person writing your will is properly trained, qualified and insured to do so.

Q. How much should a will cost?
A. Our prices start at £199 including VAT for a single will.

Q. But I’ve seen wills advertised on the internet for £25.
A. A will is a very important document and buying a cheap will could be a terrible mistake. It could be written by an unqualified person or there might be a sting in the tail.

Q. What do you mean?
A. Well a lot of companies, even quite reputable companies, offer to write a cheap will as a loss leader then write themselves into the will as your executors. This forms a binding contract that allows them to charge whatever probate fees they like to administer the estate. Probate fees of 4% of the value of the estate are common. You could very easily save £50 on the cost of your will and end up paying thousands of pounds in excessive probate fees.

Q. Do you really have to use executors names in the will?
A. Yes you do. If they refuse to renounce the only way to remove them is to make an application to the high court which is hugely expensive.

Q. Do you approve of online wills?
A. An online will is better than nothing but we believe that a will is so important that it really needs to be discussed face to face.

Q. Where should I keep my will?
A. If your will cannot be found then your estate will be divided according to the rules of intestacy. It’s very important to keep if safely. We offer a secure storage facility.

Q. How do people book a will writing appointment?
A. Call Final Duties on 0800 731 8722.

Q. Thank you.