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What does a will offer me?
Peace of mind
Make sure you take care of your loved one by writing down your wishes
Security
Make sure you secure your loved one’s futures with a secure and well written will.
Leave a legacy
Whether that’s directly, or left in trust – take care of loved ones and charities.
Wills explained
What is a will?
A will is a legal document that allows you to state what should happen to your estate after you have passed away. There are different types of will available, and they each suit different needs.
A simple will is recommended for people (single or couples) who want to simply leave their estate to a loved one directly. Basic will are for people with an estate that doesn’t involve a property and doesn’t have much complexity with family dynamics.
For couples, the will is usually a mirror will & leaves the estate to the surviving partner, then to the beneficiaries after that.
Alternatively, there are trust wills available.
A trust will gives instructions for the executor to create a trust on death. This is a clause within the will document that is used to distribute the assets into a trust, which gives added protections for up to 125 years.
For couples with a property, a Trust Will can offer a good level of protection. A trust will can also help to protect your estate against future care fees, or it can be used to protect inheritance for beneficiaries in many ways.
What happens if I die without making a will?
If you live in England or Wales and die without writing a legally valid will, the government will decide who gets what. If you have no living family members, all your property and possessions will go to the Crown. If you have children under 18 years old, other people can make decisions about who will take care of the children and manage their finances, education and living arrangements. By making a will you can specify your wishes.
Creating a will allows you to:
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appoint people you trust to look after your children under 18 years (called guardians)
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appoint people you trust to carry out the terms of your will (called executors)
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name the people or charities you want to benefit from your estate (called beneficiaries)
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leave gifts of specific items or fixed sums of money (called legacies)
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create trusts to help protect your assets for future generations, protect against residential care costs or help vulnerable or disabled beneficiaries
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state your funeral wishes
A will is one of the most important legal documents you will ever sign. If you die without a valid will in England or Wales the law can decide who has responsibility for children under 18 and who receives your money, property, cars, pets and all your other belongings.
Your will deals with your belongings (such as your property, bank accounts and personal possessions) that you own at the time of your death, not at the time you write your will. So even if you don’t have much to leave now, your financial situation could change significantly in the future, particularly if you expect to have paid off your mortgage or are likely to receive an inheritance at some point.
Making a will clarifies your wishes and enables you to give your loved one’s financial protection after you die. If you are a couple with similar wishes you may want to make mirror wills, which are separate wills that mirror one another, with each person leaving their assets to each other or the same beneficiaries.
Choose the service best for you
Single basic Will
£199
Includes FREE delivery
A simple and easy way to settle your affairs for your family and loved ones after you pass away. Decide who manages and benefits from your estate, as well as how your final wishes are to be respected.
Key benefits:
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You decide how much you want family, friends, and charities to inherit.
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Choose who you would want to protect any inheritance you leave to any children you have who are under 18.
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All wishes included in your will are yours and yours alone.
Mirror basic Will
£349
Includes FREE delivery
A simple and easy way to settle your affairs for your family and loved ones after you pass away. Decide who manages and benefits from your estate, as well as how your final wishes are to be respected.
Key benefits:
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If you and your partner have similar wishes, mirror wills can be a more cost effective option than making separate single wills.
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You decide how much you want family, friends, and charities to inherit.
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All wishes included in your will are yours and yours alone.
Couples Property Protection Trust Will
£789
Key benefits:
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Guarantees who benefits from your share of the property if a surviving spouse or civil partner remarries after you die or writes a new will.
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Can help reduce the potential impact of residential care fees on the property value for the benefit of future generations.
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This Trust includes the work to Severe the Tenancy of your property.
Single Discretionary Trust Will
£389
A simple and easy way to settle your affairs for your family and loved ones after you pass away. Decide who manages and benefits from your estate, as well as how your final wishes are to be respected.
Key benefits:
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Guarantees that vulnerable people are given assistance in the management of their inheritance.
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Reduces the risk of state benefit entitlements being compromised by the receipt of inheritance.
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Potentially helps unmarried couples with Inheritance Tax planning.
Couples Discretionary Trust Will
£689
A simple and easy way to settle your affairs for your family and loved ones after you pass away. Decide who manages and benefits from your estate, as well as how your final wishes are to be respected.
Key benefits:
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Guarantees that vulnerable people are given assistance in the management of their inheritance.
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Reduces the risk of state benefit entitlements being compromised by the receipt of inheritance.
All prices include VAT
How to Choose the Right Type of Will
Single Basic Will
A single basic will is a straightforward document for individuals. It specifies who inherits your assets, names an executor to manage your estate, and can designate guardians for minors. If your financial situation is uncomplicated and you have clear plans for asset distribution, a single basic will may be the right choice.
Mirror Basic Will
Mirror basic wills are nearly identical wills created for couples, typically spouses, who want their estates handled in the same way. Each will reflects the other, usually leaving everything to the surviving partner and then to specified beneficiaries. This option is suitable for couples with straightforward estates and a mutual agreement on their distribution plans.
Couples Property Protection Trust Will
A couples property protection trust will is designed for couples who want to protect their property for future generations. It places each partner’s share of the property into a trust upon their passing. This ensures that the surviving partner can live on the property while ultimately protecting it from being used to pay for care fees. This type of will is ideal for couples looking to safeguard their property for their children or other beneficiaries.
Single Discretionary Trust Will
A single discretionary trust will creates a trust upon your death, giving trustees the discretion to decide how your assets are distributed among your beneficiaries. This flexibility is beneficial if you have beneficiaries who might need varying levels of support over time, such as young children, financially inexperienced individuals, or those with a disability.
Couples Discretionary Trust Will
A couple’s discretionary trust will is similar to the single version but it’s designed for couples. It allows trustees to manage and distribute the assets in a way that best suits the beneficiaries’ needs, offering protection and flexibility. This type of will is suitable for couples who want to ensure that their estate is managed thoughtfully and their beneficiaries receive support as needed.
Overall, choosing the right type of will depends on your specific needs and circumstances. If you’re unsure, consult with an estate planner, or our legal experts to gain clarity and ensure that you select a type of will that provides peace of mind and security for you and your loved ones.
Why do people use Zenco?
Affordable
Here at Zenco, we take pride in providing services that are genuinely affordable without compromising on quality.
Our commitment to affordability ensures that everyone can protect their best interests without breaking the bank.
Accessible
We believe in accessibility for all. That’s why our service is designed to be easily accessible to everyone, both physically and digitally.
We offer an intuitive online platform for those who prefer to use a service from the comfort of their homes.
Moreover, our customer support team is always available to assist with any queries, making the experience smooth and hassle-free for everyone.
Amazing
We strive to provide an amazing experience to each and every one of our valued customers. From the moment you visit our website, our commitment to excellence shines through.
Our amazing team of dedicated professionals works tirelessly to deliver services that go above and beyond expectations.
We continuously innovate and improve so that you can look after the things that matter with ease.
How our will service works
Getting started
Book a call with one of our legal advisors at a date and time that works around you.
Writing the will
On your appointment, you will be guided through the drafting process, making sure that you always understand and helping to build a will tailored to you.
Finalising your will
Once you’re happy with your will, we’ll send it out for you to sign and make it legally-binding.
Need help? Don’t worry
If you get stuck at any point our team are just one call away to answer your questions.
Available from 8am – 5.30pm Monday to Friday
Top questions for Wills
What is a Basic Will?
A Will is a legal document that is used to decide what happens to an individual’s estate and loved ones after they pass away. This Will, prepared by a person or Testator, is used to outline how they want their estate to be divided up between their loved ones, often referred to as Beneficiaries.
A Will for a single person is referred to as a ‘Single’ or ‘Basic’ Will and is suitable for those who want their own personal wishes to be followed by the Executors of their estate.
What is a Mirror Will?
Mirror Wills, sometimes called joint wills are a popular choice for married and unmarried couples that share common wishes for how their wills are written. Mirror Wills are two individual legal documents that are identical in structure, with the exception of the partner’s name and any personal wishes for funerals.
- To use an example for how a mirror would work is that between a married couple with children, they can decide to leave their entire estate to each other if one of them passes away and should they both die, the children will receive everything from both parents.
What is a Testator?
The person who wants to draft a Will is called a Testator. To prepare a Will, Testators must have full mental capacity, be over the age of 18 and willing to register a will by their own decision and not because of outside influences.
What is an Estate?
What is an Executor?
An Executor is an individual that is chosen by a Testator to manage their estate and carry out the terms and wishes of their Will. When choosing Executors, they must be over the age of 18, have full mental capacity and should be someone that you trust, either a friend, family or a professional e.g. solicitor.
Executors are responsible for the following tasks:
- Securing all of the Testator’s assets, properties and valuables as soon as possible after they have passed away.
- Meeting any leftover payments or debts that they Testator may have, using their estate if necessary.
- Granting any Beneficiaries named by the Testator their inheritance from the estate.
It is possible for the Testator to name up to four Executors to administer their estate. This can help to make the estate more manageable, while also making sure that there are backups in case one Executor can’t carry out their duties.
What is a Guardian?
When a Testator has children under the age of 18, they need to nominate an individual to act as their children’s legal Guardian and take responsibility for them if the Testator passes away unexpectedly. To choose a Guardian to care for your children is a huge responsibility and is something that must be discussed in great detail between the Testator and their potential Guardians.
Guardianship is a role that should only be given to people you trust implicitly to safeguard your children, with siblings, parents and extended family being the most common choices.
What is a Beneficiary?
A Beneficiary is someone who is eligible to receive some form of inheritance from a Testator’s estate after being named in their Will. Beneficiaries can be chosen from anyone the Testator wants to give their estate to, with the most common choices being their children, grandchildren, siblings or even charitable organisations.
While Beneficiaries can be chosen regardless of their age, a Testator can decide when a Beneficiary under the age of 18 can access their inheritance. If this decision is made, a child named as a Beneficiary will have their inheritance placed into a Trust and managed by Trustees named in the Will.
When deciding how to divide up an estate between an Testator’s Beneficiaries, there are three types of gifts that can be given:
- Pecuniary Bequest – Giving a fixed sum of money to a Beneficiary e.g. leaving a child money for a car.
- Specific Bequest – Leaving a Beneficiary a single item or asset e.g. Handing down a family heirloom to a grandchild.
- Residual Bequest – Reserving a percentage of the total estate’s value for a Beneficiary after all bills and fees are paid e.g. Giving 40% of remaining assets to a spouse.
When does a Will start?
A Will becomes valid after the Testator has passed away and control of their estate is passed over to Executors who administer the estate, arrange funeral proceedings and give inheritance to the Beneficiaries.
Can funeral wishes be included in a Will?
While preparing a Will, a Testator can declare their wishes for funeral arrangements and they should be arranged. Unless the Will is opened before the funeral, it isn’t always possible to carry out the deceased’s wishes and even if it is found, the Executors have no legal obligation to follow these instructions.
What if I have nothing worth leaving?
A Will accounts for the Testator’s total estate at the time of their passing and not at the time of registering the Will. Fortunes can change in the future and the size and value of an estate can grow considerably over the Testator’s lifetime.
Who do I need to make a Will?
When preparing a Will, Testators must provide the following information:
- Personal information including the Testator’s full name, date of birth, home address, relationship status and the names and dates of birth of any children.
- A breakdown of valuable assets owned by the Testator that they wish to be included in their estate. These assets can include financial assets such as stocks, shares and bank accounts or personal possessions such as vehicles, clothing, jewellery and properties. When calculating the net value of an estate, existing debts such as mortgages and loans should always be considered.
- A list of the Testator’s chosen Beneficiaries and their full names and addresses.
- The nomination of people that the Testator wishes to act as Executors to their Will and estate. Testator’s can select one or more people to fill this role, as will as replacement Executors if necessary. The chosen individuals’ full names and addresses must also be included.
- The selection of legal guardians to care for any children under the age of 18 if the parents both die. The full names and addresses must also be included.
- The full names and addresses of the people nominated to act as Trustees if the Testator has a portion of their estate being placed into a Trust.
- Identifying any pets and how they should be cared for after the Testator passes away.
- A Letter of Wishes to be included within the Will. This letter can be used to specify the inheritance that Beneficiaries can receive, convey a Testator’s last wishes for the care of their loved ones or simply as a means of saying their final goodbyes to friends and family.
Who signs my Will?
For a Will to become a legally valid document, it will need to be signed by the Testator, their chosen Executors and Trustees while being witnessed by two independent witnesses. These witnesses must be present at the signing to confirm that the Testator isn’t being influenced in any way and if needed, give evidence for or against should the Will ever be challenged.
Because Witnesses must be unbiased towards the outcome of the Will, the following parties cannot be a Witness:
- Family members, including children, parents or partners.
- Beneficiaries
- People who lack mental capacity to understand the importance of the signing
- Anyone under the age of 18
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by Nina Cidylo