By making a Will, you can clearly outline who will inherit your hard-earned assets - you can also deliberately exclude people you do not wish to benefit from your estate, as long as they are not financially dependent on you.

When you make a Will at home, this process is simple and straightforward.

When you write a Will you must appoint one or more executors to handle your affairs when you die.
Administering an estate can often be simple and straightforward. As a result, this is normally a job for your adult children, relatives, or a friend (preferably someone you trust to administer your estate according to your wishes).

According to the rules of intestacy, unmarried partners do not inherit from your estate – no matter how long you’ve been together. The same applies to relations by marriage, for example, step-children.

If you want an unmarried partner or step-child to inherit, you need to write a Will.

If you have children under 18, it is important to outline your legal guardianship wishes within a Will. Failing to do this could mean that the courts decide who will care for your children.

Without a Will, it can be a long and complicated process for your loved ones to distribute your assets. They may need to pay for professional help or experience family disputes.

When you make a Will at home, you reduce stress for those closest to you at an already difficult time.

Pets are family, so choose someone you trust to look after them when you are gone - you can even leave money to fund their care.

In a Will, you can specify your funeral wishes. For instance, whether you want to be buried or cremated - you can even choose a sentimental location for your ashes to be scattered. As it is the responsibility of your chosen executors, often your loved ones, to plan the funeral, they will look for guidance in your Will. While funeral wishes within a Will may not be legally binding, they will carry a moral obligation, which your executors will likely want to fulfil.

When you make a Will at home with ELM, you may want to leave a percentage of your estate, or a specific gift, to a charity of your choice. Donations left to charities within Wills are vital to their work.

It is also worth noting that if you have no Will and no living relatives, your estate may pass to the Crown. Many people would prefer to leave their estate to a charity close to their heart.

Having taken the vital step of protecting your estate, your most important documents must be protected and kept up to date.

Many people have lost or accidentally damaged their Wills, rendering them invalid.

Our valuable ongoing Secure Document Storage protects your documents and provides you with copies.

We write to your executors to let them know where your Will is located and are then on hand to help guide them.

The Property Protection Trust is an intricate trust clause within your Will.

It ensures that after you die, your half of the house is held in trust to be used by a surviving spouse or partner for the rest of their lifetime.

They never actually own your half of the property and neither can they be forced out.

However, you have the peace of mind that whomever you leave your property to will actually receive it, whatever happens to your spouse or partner.

It enables you to ensure that your children are not disinherited after your death. For example, if your spouse remarries or the property is vulnerable to third party creditors in the event of old age or illness.

If you own your house as joint tenants, as most people do, it would be necessary to complete a severance of tenancy.

The Discretionary Trust is one of the more complex trust clauses used within Wills today and can be varied to suit a number of situations.

Sometimes a Discretionary Trust is used to protect assets for a disabled beneficiary, or if assets other than property need to be protected from creditors or remarriage.