Heritage Wills and Probate

About us

We specialise in wills, trusts, estate planning and probate matters. It is our aim to provide a first class service and excellent value for money and to make writing a will as straightforward as possible, leaving unnecessary legal jargon at the door. Whether you require a simple will or more complex inheritance tax planning, our fully trained, insured and regulated consultants will provide you and your family with complete peace of mind from the comfort of your own home. We are also able to provide Lasting Powers of Attorney, probate services and a secure document storage and amendment service.

Included as part of our service:

• we will visit you at home (or office) at a time convenient to you. This may be during the day or evening. All appointments are on a no-obligation basis and there is a seven day cooling off period in which you may withdraw without penalty if you change your mind;

• we will provide advice where necessary, so that your will is tailored to your exact circumstances;

• we will provide advice on minimising inheritance tax and safeguarding assets from long term care fees;

• we will provide advice on the probate process and the appointment of executors;

• we will provide a draft copy of your will for you to approve;

• once you are fully satisfied with the will we will visit you a second time to ensure the will is signed and witnessed correctly;

• we will provide details of all our (fixed) fees prior to taking instructions so that there are no unpleasant surprises at the end;

• we will only take payment once the documents meet with your satisfaction (on our second visit usually).

Institute of Professional Willwriters membership

There is currently no compulsory government regulation of willwriters. Many have received little or no training, are not insured and are not required to join a professional body. Amazingly, anyone can legally set up business providing wills with absolutely no training whatsoever. Unfortunately if a mistake is made, it is often only discovered when it’s too late to be rectified.

We are full members of the Institute of Professional Willwriters (IPW) whose main objective under its Code of Practice is to ensure that the services provided by its members are delivered professionally, ethically and competently.

Our Code of Practice is endorsed by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT)

OFT approval means that consumers using an IPW member to make a will are safe in the knowledge that code approved members operate to a higher standard of consumer protection than the law requires and covers virtually all aspects of the service offered by IPW members to their clients. The IPW are the only professional body within the entire legal profession that are endorsed by the OFT. OFT requirements include:

• High standards of professional expertise. IPW members are required to demonstrate their knowledge and expertise by passing an entrance exam and must undertake a yearly quota of training to ensure that they keep abreast of new legislation and developments within the profession;
  
• Professional Indemnity Insurance cover of a minimum of £2million for every case. Nothing should go wrong, but if it does you know that your beneficiaries will be compensated;
  
• A 7 day cooling off period if you decide not to go ahead there will be no charge for our initial consultation;
  
• Transparent pricing - with no hidden extras (as above);
  
• Clear timescales - you will know precisely what we will do and when;
  
• Redress. A clear and simple complaints procedure which includes independent arbitration if for any reason you are dissatisfied with any aspect of our service.
  

Your will is probably the most important document you'll ever sign. Remember, not everyone operates to our high standards and sorting out a badly worded will could cost your heirs dearly. For their benefit and your peace of mind insist on nothing less than an OFT approved will writer.

* As legislation is subject to change, all the information in this website is given without warranty of any kind. There is no substitute for up to date professional advice which is tailored to your needs.

© Heritage Wills & Probate 2006/2010. The contents of this site are the copyright of Heritage Wills & Probate and must not be reproduced in any form without written permission.