Wills: what to check

This page is not legal advice. It is a harm checklist.

Do you actually have a will

If you do not, the law decides who gets what and who deals with the estate.

That can be slow, expensive, and conflict-heavy.

Cheap wills and hidden percentage clauses

Some cheap wills are not cheap.

They can include clauses that appoint a company as executor and take a percentage of the estate for doing the work.

That can be perfectly legal.

Why this matters

• 2% of a £300,000 estate is £6,000
• 5% is £15,000
• This is often discovered after death, when it is hardest to change

Read the executor clauses

Look for language like:

• professional executor appointment
• entitled to charge
• percentage of the estate
• additional fees for work done

What you can do now

• Locate the will and read the executor and charging clauses
• Check whether a company is appointed as executor or co-executor
• Check whether there is a percentage charge
• Update the will if it does not reflect your intent

Remember

You are not doing this for yourself. You are doing it for the people who will have to deal with the consequences.