On average 17,000 people die unexpectedly every year in the UK. For many unlucky families where a Will hasn’t been made that can mean years of fighting with the authorities for the rights to their own homes, assets and even children.
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According to newly collated research on behalf of MakeAWill.co.uk, 61 per cent of Brits don’t have a Will and a third of people who currently do have a Will have not updated it in the past year.
Conrad Braithwaite, Wills expert and founder of MakeAWill.co.uk says,:“It’s especially worrying that many parents don’t have a Will because they need to specify who they’d like to take guardianship of their children, otherwise it’s left to the local authority to make that decision for them."
Experts and campaigners alike are keen to promote the importance of making a Will and highlight the dangers of dying ‘intestate’, a situation whereby bereaved families can find assets and estates being passed directly to the government through the laws of intestacy.
Graham Edgington is one of the founders of the Jennifer Charity. Graham set up the charity following the death of his wife in 1985 who passed away suddenly having not made a Will. The charity now provides a support network for bereaved fathers and their children.
“Having a Will in place is absolutely paramount”, says Graham. “The devastation of losing a close relative causes absolute chaos within the family environment and having to organise the assets of the family without a Will via a solicitor is a very difficult and stressful time.”
Probate experts claim that people are put off writing a Will due to a number of common misconceptions. People assume that they know who their estate will go to and that the whole process is too expensive, time-consuming and complicated.
On the subject of these misconceptions Conrad Braithwaite says: “This really isn’t the case anymore. The process is very straightforward. You can now complete your will online and the cost of that is far lower because you’re not paying solicitors costs. You can complete your will from home. You can just print it off straight away to use."
For further information on the importance of making a Will and how the process works you can visit www.makeawill.co.uk.