Can I Use a DIY Will?

You don’t always need to have a solicitor to draw up a legally valid will. If you answer NO to any of the following questions your affairs are probably too complex to use a DIY Will. You should contact a solicitor and go through everything with them, click here to  find a solicitor via the Law Society (UK only).

• Do you have your permanent home in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland?
• Are you of sound mind? i.e. do you understand what you are giving away, how you are giving it away and who you are giving it to?
• Are you over 18 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland or over 12 in Scotland?
• Do you have less than £312,000 worth of assets? This figure is the current value of a person’s assets that is free from Inheritance Tax. For the purposes of your Will, ‘assets’ include your property, personal possessions, cash, savings and investments. Note that some insurance policies cannot be left in your Will. You need to check with your insurance provider. Sometimes your pension rights cannot be included in your Will so you should check with your pension provider. If you own a property as a joint tenant (if you do not know how you own your property, then check with the solicitor who did your conveyancing), then your share of that property will automatically pass to the other owner and therefore will not be included in your Will.
• Is all the property you own in the UK? If you live in England and own a property in Scotland or Northern Ireland, the property is considered to be foreign property because it is in a different legal jurisdiction. The same applies if you live in Scotland and own a property in England or Northern Ireland, this property is considered to be foreign property because it is in a different legal jurisdiction. Therefore, you need to take legal advice in the country where the property is situated.
• You do not own a business or share in a business? If you run a business on your own (sole proprietor), are part of a partnership or if you own all or part of a private company you should take legal advice.
• You do not have children? An unmarried father does not automatically have parental responsibility (the ability to make decisions about their child’s welfare) unless the child was born after 1 December 2003 and the father is named on the birth certificate. The unmarried mother automatically has parental responsibility. The appointment of a guardian in your Will is only effective after both parents with parental responsibility die. So if the father does not have parental responsibility, it is possible for a mother to name someone in their Will other than the father to be the child’s guardian.

DIY Will Packs from Amazon For use in the United States For use in the United Kingdom

Age Concern Legal Services – Advice

In the UK Age Concern is a well respected organisation offering help and advice on many subjects.

Age Concern Legal Services offers legal advice and support through Irwin Mitchell‚  one of the UK’s leading law firms and 2007 National Law Firm of the Year. They realise life doesn’t always go to plan, so they offer an easy to access service to help you understand when legal help may be necessary. You can have a free consultation with one of their friendly advisers who will listen to your situation and explain how they can help you. They will also let you know how much it will cost to proceed with the advice you have been given.

Whatever your age‚ Irwin Mitchell can advise you on a range of legal issues including Will writing, one of the most important things you can do for your family.

Grief Counselling

Although counselling is unlikely to speed up the grieving process it can help ease the pain of grief. It also gives you the opportunity to talk through any emotional problems you may have or to just talk about the person you lost.

Counselling essentially helps people to adjust to a changed situation. According to The British Association of Counselling, “It gives the client an opportunity to explore, discover and clarify ways of living more satisfyingly and resourcefully.”

A great source for finding suitable counselling is via Cruse Bereavement Care which exists to promote the well-being of bereaved people and to enable anyone bereaved by death to understand their grief and cope with their loss. Services are free to bereaved people. The charity provides support and offers information, advice, education and training services.

For publications on Grief and Bereavement Counselling take a look below:

Grief Counselling and Grief Therapy: A Handbook for the Mental Health Practitioner	When Someone Very Special Dies: Children Can Learn to Cope with Grief (Drawing Out Feelings)	Grief in Young Children: A Handbook for Adults

Memorials

It is important to most people to have a lasting memorial to remember their loved ones. A memorial provides a place to visit, to lay flowers or to just sit and remember.

There are lots of memorials to choose from for the cemetary as well as for cremation, there are also special memorials for children. Here is a selection of companies specialising in memorials:

• Co-operative Funeralcare 
• Memorials of Distinction
• McGarry Memorials – based in Manchester, UK

As well as the traditional memorials there are other ways to remember a loved one. The most popular way is to donate money in the memory of someone special, you can do that here:

• Barnardos.org.uk – donote in memory
• The Woodlands Trust – dedicate a tree

Another way to remember is to create online memorials, here are a few popular sites:

• GoneTooSoon is a not-for-profit organisation which enables anyone to create a free online memorial, leave a lasting tribute or light a candle for a much loved relative or friend who has passed away.
• MuchLoved is a registered charity working for bereaved people worldwide. We are here to help you create sensitive, personalised and lasting memorial websites in memory of your loved ones.
• Light up a Life – This site aims to provide you with a full listing of the hundreds of community-based ‘Light up a Life’ events which will be taking place across the country this winter. Light up a Life is the name given to a series of special events organised by local hospices. These events offer an opportunity to remember, celebrate and light a candle in memory of a loved one. By entering the postcode or place name and clicking on the search button on the right, you will find full details of the Light up a Life events taking place in your area. You can also use this website to light a virtual candle in memory of a loved one.

Raw Garden are an online gardening company who also sell Memorial Benches. Commemmorating a loved one, a charitable donation or just a personalised gift, Raw Garden can supply a range of top quality benches from £185.94 to £699.99 that will stand the test of time as well as tribute! Click here to see more details.

Memorial Benches

Raw Garden are an online gardening company who also sell Memorial Benches. Commemmorating a loved one, a charitable donation or just a personalised gift, Raw Garden can supply a range of top quality benches from £185.94 to £699.99 that will stand the test of time as well as tribute! All the benches below can be personalised with your own tribute as follows: Engraved with text of your choosing – £58.99 A brass plaque with text of your choosing – £35.00 Plaque fitted to the bench – £10.00 Bench assembly by trained staff – £14.95

Classic Teak Bench from Raw Garden

The Classic Teak Bench from Kingdom Teak is ideal for gardens or as a memorial park bench, with its higher back specially designed to maximise comfort. Clean cut and original in design, this robust furniture provides ideal seating to suit all and even has a flat armrest for a cup of tea. Its smooth lines and wide seat add to the comfort of this traditional classic teak garden bench. Available in 3 widths, 120, 150 and 180cm - Price £260

Neptune Classic Canterbury 4ft Bench

Sculpted from Albizzia, a strong, durable hardwood, the Canterbury garden bench provides a cost-effective alternative to our teak benches. The benches are constructed using mortice and tenon jointing. The robust frame, smooth lines and wide seat add comfort to this versatile traditional garden feature, and will withstand many years of continual outdoor use. Price £187.50

Britannia 2.4m Heavy Teak Bench

The Britannia 2.4m Heavy Teak Bench from Kingdom Teak provides strength and durability, extra 7cm-thick chunky legs, arms and an all-round heavier construction. This bench will last a lifetime and is great for parks and public spaces. Price £699.99

Inform Organisations

What documentaion or information will I need to inform organisations of the death?

• Address book listing close friends and relatives who will need to be informed
• Passport
• Vehicle registration documents if the deceased owned a car
• Driving licence/parking permits/travel cards/Blue Badge for disabled parking
• Membership cards or documents/correspondence showing membership of clubs, associations, Trade Unions and similar

Estate Valuations

What other information do I need to complete estate valuations?

• Valuations of assets such as jewellery, paintings and similar
• Inventories of property and other possessions
• Safety box deposit information
• PAYE form P60 and latest payslips if the deceased was employed
• Recent tax returns and tax calculation statements (if relevant)
• Company registration documents, accounts, tax and VAT returns if they had a business

Owing Money

What happend if the deceased owed money to others?

To help sort our any monies owed you will need the following: 

• Outstanding invoices if the deceased ran a business
• Written/verbal evidence of other money owed to the deceased
• property deeds or leases (main home and any other at home or abroad)
• property keys

Financial Information

What financial information about the decease will I need to complete documentation?

• Mortgage statement
• Credit card statements
• Utility/ Council Tax bills in the deceased’s name
• Rental agreements/statements (private or local authority)
• Other outstanding bills
• Leases, hire purchase agreements or similar (eg for equipment, car or furniture)
• Educational loan statements
• Any other loan statements

My Documents

What documents do I need about myself if I am sorting out the deceased’s affairs?

The person formally responsible for sorting out the deceased person’s estate, paying any taxes and debts and distributing the estate is known as the Personal Representative. That person will need the following documents wherever relevant:

• Proof of your relationship to the deceased. Eg marriage/civil partnership or birth certificate, child’s birth certificate naming both parents
• Your social security card/National Insurance number if you will be claiming/changing benefits  

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