Published on: 25th September 2016

The dangers of a DIY Will

When writing your own Will, little mistakes can lead to major problems. Yet, hundreds of thousands of us choose to go down the DIY route instead of trusting a professional. You might save yourself a bit of money but if anything goes wrong, you won't be around to sort it out.

Unbiased.co.uk, a financial advice website, stated that 57% of adults in the UK do not have a Will. 10% of those people say the cost puts them off writing one. But saving money and cutting corners by using a DIY Will service could cause more problems for those who are left behind than not having one at all. The average person doesn't have the ability or knowledge to create legal documents themselves, even for what they may think is the most straightforward estate.

Errors in writing a Will can make the Will invalid, leading to high legal costs. Not only do you risk leaving your family with a financial and emotional mess, but your legacy could be knocked down by legal bills or unnecessary tax.

Numbers from the Co-operative Legal Services show that poorly drafted or invalid DIY Wills are to blame for a prolonged probate ordeal for a whopping 38,000 families a year.

The most common mistakes are related to the execution of the Will. Just not signing a DIY Will properly can make it invalid. For it to become legally binding, a the creation of a Will has to be witnessed by two independent adults at the same time. Even if they sign at different times it is invalid.

Problems can also occur if your circumstances change, as a lot of DIY Wills cannot accommodate for this.

When Wills go wrong, people may lose their only source of income, property is left in limbo, and the financial and emotional cost of dealing with the problems can be huge.

So put yourself and your loved ones at ease by creating a professional Will with us, a highly specialised Will Writing and Estate Planning company.

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