A will that can't be changed?

[shushnow]

A solicitor has told me that you can write mirror wills that when one of you passes the other can't change theres. There is a certain term that means 'set in stone'.

Another solicitor has told me there is no such thing.

Has anyone heard of it? And knows what its called?

My mum thought that's what she/they had....

Then she died. dad remarried and has 'let us know' that half the house will be going to wife/ wife's family....

I would check very thoroughly.

I'd very much doubt there is any such thing. You couldn't force someone to stick to a will they had made previously...what if your husband and yourself make mirror wills and then you die, he remarries and has children? No court would disinherit that family in favour of an old will made with a deceased spouse.

I think it's more likely to be things like leaving assets in trust and giving a partner a life interest in an asset that offer the protection you need.

I think my will also has something in it about DH and possibly other beneficiaries dying within 30 days of me. I assume that is in case of being in an accident and one dying instantly and the other lasting a few days. I wouldn't want everything to be inherited by DH and then pass on to his family rather than being split between our families in that case. I probably need to look at my will though. I think we drew them up before we had DC, but with them in there as hypotheticals.

There is a Will you can write where you leave your half to your dc, and if your Dh/p remarries the new dw can't inherit the dc's half of the house.

Can't remember what it's called though.

I know in America you can place assets into an "irrevocable trust" which cannot be changed without the permission of the beneficiary. I'm not sure if we have something similar in the UK but it might be worth researching?

You can write a Mutual Will, which can't be changed. They're not really used now, because we tend to use life interest trusts instead.

Sittinginthesun - maybe it was that.

Yep. Mutual wills. Never done one, mind.

I'd never recommend making a mutual will. As pp have said, I think you're referring to a life interest trust which gives specified assets (usually the main home) to (usually) children, whilst allowing the surviving spouse to remain living in the property till their death or remarriage.

Mumble - why would you not recommend a mutual will?

See photo, short explanation about mutual wills and how they operate