We all know that it is important to have a will. Without a will, there is sometimes a mess and there is extra expense in sorting things out. But some wills are almost as bad as having no will – in particular, wills which are out of date.
We were recently involved with a family where the will was about 30 years old. The executors named in the will had both died and the deceased’s partner of the last 15 years got nothing. This meant that the partner had to apply for something called “letters of administration with will annexed” (in order to close the bank accounts) – then to get some money for herself, the partner had to sort things with deceased’s children – this was messy and expensive, and damaging to family relationships.
So it’s not just a matter of having a will – it must be up to date. As your circumstances change over time (whether they are good changes or bad changes) it is important to always think of your will – does it need an update. The cost of updating an existing will is insignificant compared to the mess and expense which might otherwise come about. The Life Law Team at Godfreys Law are the people to consult over will reviews.
