Legal advice needed.... wills

[mieow]

My mum helps an old lady who wants to change her will. As she is housebound she needs a solicitor to come to the flat, isthis possible??

Yes definitely, though they may charge a lot. An alternative would be one of the home will writing services in the yellow pages if she doesn't need anything complicated - they are quite reputable and very cheap (my mum used one last year, came to the house once for all the info and then again with the will to sign, cost under £50).

Any decent solicitor will come to the house. If they charge a set rate for a will, this should not increase because of the travel, so she shouldn't worry about it costing more. Just get your mum to check out charges in advance. If the firm wants to charge more, then go to another. Years ago I remember accompanying my boss to an old lady's house to sort out her will. She was blind, so he took me as a witness that he had gone through the will clearly and that she had understood (and also to witness the signature). The charge was the same as for anyone else.

Yep, we're not housebound but the solicitor came to us (although it could have been because we were on his route home!)

Yes, majority will do house calls. Some firms may pay more for this but I know Dh often waives extra fees for genuinely house bound people.

Can I also recommend NOT using a will writing sevice. DH deals with them a lot during probate and they can be badly prepared, not take into account any form of tax planning, and can cause you more hassle than its worth. It really is worth using a proper professional for your wills - they are fully qualified and have trained for years to do the job. The will is written for YOU and YOUR needs, not just following a basic script. The person who takes your instructions writes the will and has first hand knowledge of what you want. A will writing service may not have this training (unlikely to have) and will rarely offer a personal service. A basic will may not be anywhere near as expensive as you think. Out of London, for a home visit you will be still talking of less than £100.