AIBU in thinking I should make my own homemade Will?

[Eightiesmusic]

I'm ready to do my Will, I believe it's going to be relatively straightforward as my estate will go to my children in equal measures.

However, I'm not certain that doing a DIY Will is the best option, as I've read horror stories where Wills have found to be invalid. But surely if the Will is executed properly, with witnesses signing at the same time as the Testator, and the contents of the Will and the Testator's wishes are clear then how can it be a problem drawing up your own Will?
Can anyone advise please? Should I do my own following the necessary signing rules or go to a Solicitor?

For something as straightforward as that it should be fine. But make sure it is executed and witnessed properly. With all the correct details and signatures, that will be included in the pack with the will information.

if you’re treating your children equally and aren’t married there shouldn’t be any issue but you’re right to do it correctly.

We used Marlow Wills as recommended many times by posters on here. She was fab, and it was very straight forward. We had one call online, she sent a draft, we made some minor amendments and then it was posted to it for signing. She asked us about things I would never have thought of. It’s such an important document, and getting it right will save your children hassle down the line.

Mine is straight forward too. I wrote mine with Gemini and got it signed and witnessed at work, copies sent to executors.

I agree, DH and I have Wills with 10 Minute Will Co, but I did type out a copy for my late father in law, who left everything to DH and I, it was fine. Out of 7 pages, only the first page was what mattered, who you want to be Executors, best to have 2, who you want to inherit and the split. If DC are under 18 you may want to put in Guardians names. Then you need 2 witnesses, not family to sign with their address and date.

We used farewill to ensure we didnt forget anything and it was all above board.

It was £150 or something for both of us

I have done mine recently and everything to children. Only thing was I had to consider where it would go if children were not here and no grandchildren. So you may want to consider that too.

How does that work? if there was any dispute, the Solicitor cannot say who witnessed what, when and where?
This is vital (in any dispute) should any witness die, even if the solicitor was to pass, it wouldn't matter as he would have written down what happened etc.

I 've been involved in a Will dispute, the Solicitor considered everything, including my Mums mental and physical state, had it been a homemade Will, things could have been very different and very expensive.

For the sake or around £100 or even less if done via a charity, i wouldn't do a home made will.

Lots of charities offer free wills. The hope is you’ll leave them something as a thank you

Many charities have Will writing services. Worth having a look or try the CAB.

I don’t know what you mean. It’s not for the solicitor who drafted the will to witness it. You need an independent witness.

Regardless of that, I think we are making the same overall point - don’t DIY it, use a professional. I am particularly horrified by the idea of people using AI - you have no idea whether what it is producing is legally valid or not.

Lots of charities offer a free will service and you can usually get a link off their web page about legacies. There’s no pressure to include the charity in your Will. I did mine via Age UK and I think the service was called Fair Will. It was free and as it’s an uncomplicated estate, took me about 20 minutes to do.

Is it necessary to use a Will writer if not using a Solicitor?
I was planning to draw up my own one, print it off and have it executed correctly.

Am I cutting corners too much doing that?

I've also just seen Will writing kits on Amazon, wouldn't one of these be ok if I ensure my wishes are clear and I execute it properly?

I'm not against using a Solicitor, but if I can save myself money then why not, or maybe I could use a Will writing kit temporarily (so I atleast have something written up), then arrange a Solicitor to draft one with the same wishes another time?

I think it is better to use a solicitor (full disclosure - i am one but in a different field).

The fees should be pretty low for a simple will and if you have assets to leave then the cost of a will done by solicitors is likely to be very reasonable and proportionate for the benefit of knowing it has all been done properly. Using a solicitor should provide protection if things go wrong and the will gets challenged - a will drawn up by a solicitor is more likely to withstand any challenge. If nothing else, the solicitor will be insured and if things go badly wrong, you might have a claim against them for negligence.

Will-writing services are not regulated - a solicitor is. DH and I are lawyers in other fields; we still paid for our pretty simple wills to be done by specialist wills & probate lawyers.

Farewill. You can do it for free if you go through one of the charity webpages. Otherwise it's about £70 and it's all above aboard.

I'm a solicitor (property law) and I echo what @Dery said. Cutting corners could result in an almighty mess for your family.

Use a solicitor, my friend deals with will disputes (this includes cases where the will is just unclear) and so many of her cases relate to homemade wills. Disputes cost thousands whereas a well drafted will costs hundreds. It’s the most important document you’ll ever sign so is now is not the time for false economy.

Lots of charities offer free will writing. Don't take any chances. Speaking from experience.

When we did our wills with a solicitor, I was surprised by things they suggested, that I never knew existed. It ensured our wishes were as watertight as possible & no one could syphon money off from DC or interpret it differently. It ended up being not so simple in the end, adding in trusts for DC etc but it was money well spent.

Use a solicitor - ours were straightforward mirror Wills (children were sole beneficiaries) but there was so much more to it than we realised. We spent over 2 hours discussing various aspects and fine tuning it. Money well spent.

Another vote for the charity option: didn't cost me anything upfront, but I've left a few hundred quid for the charity that paid for the solicitor's time.
Mine's very straightforward - it's just me leaving house/savings to three adult children, equal split. Some also given to 2 specific charities, for personal reasons, as a thank-you for help we've received in the past.
Spent three quarters of an hour with the solicitor, her firm has a copy, I have a copy, and I've told the kids where I keep it, and what's in it. She drafted it and I returned another day to read through and sign. Doing it that way just gives me peace of mind that it's done and dusted.

I’d be very wary of using a charity! There are horror stories of them being very grabby about getting their money.

I wrote my own will based on a template I found online as it is very simple, both adult DCs are joint executors and both inherit equally or their share goes to their children. I’ve discussed it with them and they both know what is in it.

I think the main thing is to make sure the executors know it exists and where they can find a copy.

It’s an odd thing to want to scrimp on.

I am a solicitor, in a different field, but paid a solicitor to do mine. It’s not expensive for a simple will

There was a legal stationers in Chancery Lane in London that had a picture in its window of a prosperous looking barrister raising a wine glass and saying "Here's to the man that made his own Will."

Don't do it yourself is my advice.

(The picture may still be there for all I know.)

A childless aunt left her assets to be divided equally between 11 nieces and nephews.

Straightforward enough, you’d think.
But her solicitor had added that in the event of any of them predeceasing her, their share was to go to that person’s children ‘whether natural or adopted, legitimate or illegitimate’.

Presumably to cover any possible disputes later.

Also, a friend who wanted to leave a house he owned to a particular charity, was advised by his solicitor to leave the actual house, NOT the proceeds of the sale, ‘Otherwise they’ll be endlessly badgering you, why hasn’t it sold yet, why didn’t it sell for more money,’ etc.

He said he had known it to happen.

So in both those cases IMO the solicitor was worth his fee.