Published on: 19th February 2024

Sentimental Possessions – How to leave them to your loved ones

As we go through life, we collect various possessions which are of sentimental value to us. When creating a Will you may have specific wishes, as to who those possessions go to. For most people, their personal possessions will only form a small part of the value of their estate, however if they are not dealt with properly in a Will, they can cause serious disagreements between family members. While individual items may not be worth a great deal, when emotions run high after a death, people can often be upset if they do not receive something they believe they were promised, or which has great sentimental value to them.

There is a way to reduce the chances of any family feuds, by including a Personal Chattels Clause in your Will. Personal chattels refer to your ‘tangible movable property’ - basically, the things you can touch or move around that aren’t money or property.

Examples of personal chattels:

• Household items
• Vehicles
• Furniture
• Jewellery
• Memorabilia

You can include your personal belongings and wishes for them in your Will. We usually recommend this when there are one or two specific possessions. However, if there are multiple it is better to make a letter of wishes. We refer to these as Memorandum of Wishes letter. A Memorandum of Wishes letter is an ideal way to communicate your wishes to your Executors in relation to personal items that are not mentioned in your 'Last Will and Testament'. A Memorandum of Wishes gives you flexibility as you can change your wishes as often as you like without incurring the cost of changing your 'Last Will and Testament'. Your Memorandum of Wishes letter should be stored with but not attached to your Will.

If you would like to speak with one of our Consultants to discuss any of the issues raised in this article or any other Estate Planning topic please telephone 01732 868190 or click here.

======================================

If you wish to give instructions or require general information about our Wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney, or Trusts then we will carry out a telephone or Zoom appointment.

However, if you wish to give instructions to one of our Consultants and you feel that you can only do this at a Face to Face meeting then we are offering, at our Consultant’s discretion, a limited number of Face to Face appointments in most of the areas we normally cover. To see the areas we normally cover please click here.

To arrange an appointment please telephone 01732 868190 or click here.

======================================

Back to all news