to buy a £10 Last Will pack from the internet and just do it?

[annadina]

I haven't got a will, neither has DH. I think about it, usually before flying (yes, I know, stupidly safe but there you go) then do nothing. A quick google has found the £10 will packs to fill in a simple will with the option of storage as well. So seeing as there is no time/money to do the solicitor thing before the next flights, do we do the internet one? Or is it just a big waste of time? I know that I should have it done properly, but I haven't and if the last few years are anything to go by, I still won't, so is it worth the £10?

Yup - if less people did DIY or use some of the more dodgy will writers then the less DH will make......
Not to mention how much hassle it can cause for the loved ones left behind who end up trying to sort it all out.

I am sure there are some that are fine but we know from experience there are a lot which aren't.

Its why we always recommend to our friends to use a proper qualified probate solicitor who has specialised in this area of the law. We don't want our friends to lose out in the long run, even if it would create more profits fr the solicitors later on. Also, the advantage of seeing a qualified probate solicitor is that they have experience at both sides of the will both when writing it before death and then after a death when executing a will.

If I have a medical problem - I see a qualified doctor who has trained in that field.
If I have a dental problem - I see a qualified dentist who has trained in that field.
If I have a building problem - I see a qualified builder who has trained in that field.
If I have a legal problem - I see a qualified solicitor who has trained in that field.

Well - a good point chundy - and the vast majority of the issues we see are arising from these groups. The will usually wouldn't be tested until its too late!

In many cases - the law is significantly out of date and often completely out of jurisdiction. Will writers are the same - no need to keep up with the frequently changing case and statute around this.

99 times out a hundred, a simple will is anything but.

A simple will at a good solicitor will be a couple of hundred pounds and will not only be watertight, it will be stored for you and in the event of it being wrong the beneficiaries will be able to sue the insured solicitor - and it happens quite a lot. Download one off the net and you have none of this, you frequently have a completely invalid will, no recourse and your family at a hugely testing time will have a bill running into tens of thousands of pounds. This bill is paid before any money is sent out to the family. I think only the funeral gets paid first.

in many cases the fact that it is downloaded from the internet is a good reason to look at challenging it.

Good point crackerjack00 - we've not got kids so I've not thought about it before.

Do get a solicitor to do it, as yes it is easy to mess up without realising it and some of these online will packs are pretty crap. The courts don't follow what was the obvious intention of the deceased, but what is actually written so you have to be extremely careful. I have a friend whose wife died a couple of years back, and as she'd written her own will the mess is still being sorted out at huge expense.

There is a 'wills month' every year where solicitors will do it for a standard charge of about £90 for a single will and £150 for two mirror wills, or you can get it done via willaid.org for a similar donation to charity.

FYI, if you do die then yes, the standard 'default' would be that your husband gets the lot, but it will take a very long time for him to sort that out. A simple, solid will drafted by a half decent solicitor should prevent this.

So do I tear up the £10 Will if they are so bad? Is it better to have no will at all? As I said in the OP there is no time to do a proper one before we travel.

Don't waste time tearing it up. Phone and make the appointment!

Wills for me and my husband cost £450 each (!) and £180 each for Enduring Powers of Attorney. We live in quite an expensive place.

However we weren't getting mirror wills and his was quite complicated with his 3 children and their education to sort out and trying to ensure I wasn't left homeless. Mine was straightforward in comparison as I have no dependants so theoretically I could have let probate sort it out - but I really don't want to leave him with that sort of mess if the worst happens.

And if he had gone without a will it would have been horrendous with 3 people dependant on him.

Anyway - get a will!

It is fascinating what people will and will not spend their money on. Wonder how many of the people on the spending thousands and thousands on holidays thread have invested a couple of hundred in getting their wills done properly?

Remember reading about an optician on here shaking her head at clients who were baulking at her (modest) fee but happy to spend twice that on a handbag . Eye health versus third handbag...tricky