Post Office Will Kits: Pros and Cons
One of the most important legal documents you will ever have in your life is your Last Will and Testament. To create a Will, you have a number of options: do this, you can instruct a firm of solicitors, use Will writing experts like ourselves, or you can create your own with a Post Office Will kit.
We will explain what a Post Office Will kit is, and detail the pros and cons of Post Office Will kits so that you can make the right choice for your circumstances.
Post Office DIY Will Kit
DIY Post Office Will Kits are easily obtained at your local Post Office and at larger stationery stores. A Post Office will kit offers a way to write a Will from scratch and they can be technically legally binding when written and signed correctly. It is fair to say that DIY Post Office Will Kits aren’t suitable for all circumstances.
What is a Post Office DIY Will Kit?
Simply put, Post Office DIY Will kits usually contain a Will template for you to complete, along with printed guidance on how to do so. There is often a completed example within the Will kit pack so you can see what should be written with your Will.
Is a Post Office Will kit legally binding?
If you have ever asked, “Is a DIY Will legally binding?” the short answer is yes it is, provided it has been made correctly, meets all the necessary legal requirements and has been signed and witnessed correctly.
However, if there is a mistake and it’s been made incorrectly, for example no beneficiary has been declared, then it will not be legally binding. Similarly if the Post Office Will has not been signed and witnessed correctly, it will not be legally binding.
Post Office will kits aka DIY wills aren’t suitable for everyone. Using unconventional wording or your own layout may well lead to issues that you may regret later.
Post Office Will Kit Review
Post Office wills or DIY will kits are designed for those with straightforward affairs, the simplest of cases if you will. In our Post Office will kit review we can state that a Post Office will kit cost is reasonable although they’re not recommended if any of the following apply to you:
- You own a business
- You own multiple properties
- You have any beneficiaries who are aged under 18
- You have complex affairs
- You have total assets of what would be considered substantial value
Post Office Will Writing
You’ll be able to get a will kit, or a post office will kit, as they’re often called, from your local post office as well as from some stationery shops. A provides a template to help you write your will from scratch. Wills in the UK follow a series of set rules, which have been put in place to remove any ambiguity or confusion about the estate plan laid out in the Will. Post Office will writing kits generally keep to that established and proven Will writing format.
However, if your Post Office Will kit UK contains an error, or worse, more than one error, or if the witnessing rules are not followed in the correct manner, your Will could be declared invalid. If this is the case your estate could be substantially reduced in value which of course will affect how much your beneficiaries will receive.
Additionally many families have to deal with stressful and anxious situations with poorly drafted DIY Wills and as a consequence often have to deal with an extended probate process.
Pros and cons of the Post Office Will Writing Service
There are many pros and cons of the Post Office Will service to consider.
Pros:
- Inexpensive
- Available from post offices up and down the country
- A template is provided for the information needed
- You can write your will from the comfort of your own home
- Can be seen as a useful starting point, rather than starting a Will from scratch
Cons:
- Unsuitable for many circumstances, such as not being married to your partner
- Hard to personalise in a number of areas
- No opportunity to get legal support
- It can leave heirs in disagreement about the meaning of the Will, causing stress once you are gone
- There may be errors which won’t be discovered until you after you have died
- High risk of a DIY will being deemed invalid and/or contested
- More open to challenges or confusion after you have died
What are common mistakes when making a Post Office Will?
- Not being aware of the formal requirements needed to make a Will valid
- Not being aware of the process if any beneficiary dies before the Will maker
- Not being aware of the effect of a marriage, divorce or dissolution of a civil partnership on a Will
- Not accounting all the assets in a person’s estate
- Not being aware that the laws that enables certain dependents to contest the Will if they believe they have not been adequately provided for in the Will
How much is a Post Office will kit?
Post Office will kits UK tend to be cheap to buy, and it’s not surprising when you think about it, as when you analyse it, all you are buying is some printed paper.
So how much do Post Office Will kits cost? The most up to date price can of course be found at the Post Office itself.
How do I update my DIY Will?
It must be stressed that all legal documents should be kept up to date. Life circumstances often change and it is always best to create a new Will and you can do this using the Post Office Will service too.
Can you get a Post Office will kit online?
We’ve looked long and hard to find a link at the Post Office website and also the at the Royal Mail website to enable you to buy a Post Office will kit online, but we haven’t been able to find one. So, do the Post Office do wills online? Maybe is the best answer we can give, but if you do find a link where you can buy a Post Office will online, do let us know.
Can I make a Will without using a DIY Post Office Will kit?
If the idea of Post Office Will kits appeals to you but you’re worried about the one-size-fits-all nature of DIY Will kits, or if you are worried about the consequences of making mistakes, then an affordable option is to use a Will writing specialist like ourselves.
The benefits of this are:
- It can be done from the comfort of your home
- Completely bespoke
- Step-by-step help
- Expert guidance available
- Easy to update
- Your Will is written according to your instructions and checked by legal experts
- Complete peace of mind
Using Quick Will’s Online Will Writing Service
If you decide Post Office wills or DIY will writing kits do not suit your needs, and you feel that visiting a solicitor is expensive and a hassle, you should consider getting your Wil written online. Online Wills are now very much mainstream, and the days of having to visit a stuffy wood panelled solicitor’s office with all that entails are declining fast.
Making your Will online with our proven online will writing service allows you to create a fully personalised bespoke Will. Our website allows you to state how your want your estate to be divided up, declare any “gifts” such as jewellery, money, heirlooms etc that you want to pass on, appoint primary and reserve beneficiaries, name executor(s), nominate guardians for your children and also for your pets where appropriate, choose your funeral preferences and also set up trusts within the Will which are designed not only to protect your assets, but also to ensure inheritance tax is minimised.
