Why Do I Need to Get My Will Checked?

When you write a Will or have one written for you, you may wonder if it is worth getting your Will checked. Writing a Will is not quite as simple as just writing down what you want to happen to your estate when you die and putting it in a drawer until it is needed. There are several requirements for any written Will to be valid.

We’ve put together this guide to help you understand checking your Will is not only sensible, but essential. Especially if you want to make sure that your beneficiaries get the inheritance you are leaving for them when you die.

For a Valid Will, You Need

When writing a Will, you must meet the following criteria for it to be valid:

1. It must have been made by a person that is at least 18 years old.
2. The Will must have been made of your own free will without any pressure being put on you.
3. The person writing the Will must be of sound mind and understand not only the Will they are writing. They must also understand the assets the estate has and the impact on the beneficiaries that these assets will have.
4. Signed by the person making the Will in front of two independent witnesses.
5. Signed by the two independent witnesses in front of the person making the Will.

The witnesses that you use must not be beneficiaries named in the Will. They also can’t be the spouse of (or the civil partner of) any of the beneficiaries.

Common mistakes that Invalidate a Will

Once a Will is signed in front of witnesses, the Will is complete. However, even though there are these simple requirements to writing a Will, there are a number of common mistakes that are made when writing Wills. These mistakes will invalidate a Will and mean that there will be, in effect, no Will.

1. You fail to take into account all the property and money that is contained within the estate in the Will.
2. You fail to take into account what will happen to their share of the estate should any of your beneficiaries die before the Will holder.
3. When making any changes to the Will, if the changes are not signed and witnessed, they will be invalid.
4. The Will holder is unaware of the effect that a civil partnership, marriage, divorce, or dissolution will have on the contents of the Will.

Will Check with WillFinda

You can avoid trying to figure out whether you have a valid Will or not by using the Will Check and Store Service from WillFinda. For the low cost of just £20, you can send a copy of your Will to be checked for validity. Additionally, we will then securely store it for one year.

The WillFinda Check and Store Service will inform you whether your Will is valid or not. We can recommend some local Will writers to help you to create a valid Will if you are struggling. Fill out the form here and get your Will checked by WillFinda today.