Dying Intestate Posted by David West , 24/05/2016

Dying Intestate

The Citizens Advice Bureau says that the number of queries it has received about problems as a result of people dying without a Will (“intestate”) has more than doubled in the past five years. They received 3,747 calls relating to intestacy in 2015, up from 1,522 in 2011.

Calls relating to executing Wills also increased, with 11,137 of such inquiries in 2015 compared with 8,160 in 2011. This is probably due to people wanting to save money by handling probate themselves which is, more often than not, a false economy.

Previous work by poll company YouGov revealed that the proportion of people without a Will was not far short of two thirds, with 38% of those living in England and Wales having ordered their affairs compared with 35% in 2014. However, in the vast majority of cases, we find that (without prompting) people rarely review their Wills once they have written them. This can be catastrophic especially in light of the new Residence Nil Rate Band (“RNRB”) soon to be introduced.

The Probate Bureau would encourage you to keep your Will up to date and review it every couple of years to ensure that it reflects your wishes. For the sake of a couple of hundred pounds you could save your family thousands when it comes to probate and, of course, there is no price you can put on the emotional distress that a poorly drafted or out of date Will can cause.

Above all, contact The Probate Bureau if you have suffered a bereavement and are a named executor or consider yourself to be the legal next of kin. We can show you how to save time, money and stress.

For clear concise legal advice call The Probate Bureau on 0800 0282837