Wills, Powers of Attorney, State Benefit Applications & more

Make it easy on yourself and your relatives by having a clear paper trail related to your property and other assets, rather than what one Which? Member called “a box stuffed with 20 years of receipts”.

If you die without a Will, your estate will be divided up according to standard rules, known as Intestacy Law, regardless of what your wishes may have been.  

This process is complicated and long-winded, and your assets might not be divided how you would have liked, especially if you’re unmarried or not in a civil partnership.

A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) gives someone of your choosing the right to make decisions for you if you lose mental capacity.  There are two different types:  Property & Financial Affairs LPAs and Health & Welfare LPAs that cover your routine, medical care and ongoing care.

You can only set up an LPA while in good health and with mental capacity and they must be registered to have effect.  Registration takes approximately 20 weeks so leaving this too late can cause real problems further down the line.

If there are specific medical treatments you don’t want to receive in the future, you should consider recording these in a legally binding advance decision, also known as a “living will”.