When Additional Steps May Be Needed
Sometimes further legal arrangements are required to ensure your wishes work properly in practice.
When Additional Steps May Be Needed
Sometimes further legal arrangements are required to ensure your wishes work properly in practice.
When additional steps may be needed
Some circumstances require additional legal arrangements to ensure your wishes work properly in practice. These are not part of the standard fixed price because they are not required in every case.
In most situations, the standard drafting is entirely sufficient. Where additional arrangements are appropriate, they are discussed carefully, explained clearly, and confirmed with you before any further work begins.
Why additional services sometimes apply
Every will reflects individual circumstances. The way property is owned, family structure, and particular wishes about how assets should be protected can all affect how a will needs to be structured.
Sometimes a straightforward approach is appropriate. In other cases, achieving what you intend requires additional legal arrangements so that your wishes operate as you expect them to.
Their purpose is not to complicate matters, but to ensure clarity, protection, and proper legal effect where needed.
Life interest trust
A life interest trust allows one person to benefit from an asset during their lifetime, with the asset passing to others at a later stage. In the context of wills for two, this is often used to balance provision for a surviving partner with protecting assets for children or other beneficiaries in the longer term. It involves additional advice and drafting to ensure the arrangement works as intended and reflects each person’s wishes accurately. Where appropriate, this typically involves an additional fee in the region of £100.
Discretionary trust
A discretionary trust gives trustees flexibility over how and when beneficiaries may benefit from an asset. In the context of wills for two, this can be used where circumstances may change over time or where flexibility is needed to respond to beneficiaries’ needs.
This requires careful drafting and clear explanation to ensure the trust operates within the scope you intend and reflects each person’s wishes appropriately. Where included, this usually involves an additional fee in the region of £150.
Property protection trust
A property protection trust is commonly used where a share of a property is to be protected for certain beneficiaries while allowing someone else to continue living there. In the context of wills for two, this is often used to protect a person’s share of a home for children or other beneficiaries, while still allowing a surviving partner to remain in the property.
It involves structuring each will so that ownership and occupation rights are clearly defined. Where required, this typically involves an additional fee in the region of £300.
Severance of joint tenancy
Where property is owned jointly, it may be necessary to change how it is held so that each person’s share can pass under their will. Severing a joint tenancy is a separate legal step and is only required where the current form of ownership would otherwise override those wishes. Where this step is required, it typically involves an additional fee in the region of £150.
Will execution and witnessing support
Wills must be signed correctly to be legally valid. We can attend the signing to oversee execution and, where appropriate, provide independent witnesses to ensure the formal requirements are met. This optional service usually involves a fee in the region of £80.
Will storage and registration
After your wills are signed, you may choose to have them stored securely and registered so they can be located when needed. This is optional but can help avoid uncertainty or delay for those dealing with your estate. This administrative service typically involves a fee in the region of £20.
How fees are handled
Whether any additional service is required is identified during your instructions meeting. If an additional step is appropriate, this is explained clearly before drafting begins, including the nature of the work and the associated fee.
You receive written confirmation of any additional cost, and no further work is carried out without your agreement. Nothing is added automatically, and nothing proceeds without clarity.
A measured approach
Not every will requires additional services. Many do not.
Where they are appropriate, they exist to ensure your wishes are properly structured and legally effective — not to complicate matters. If you are unsure whether any of these may apply to you, this can be discussed calmly during your appointment.