The Government says that wills witnessed over video links during the Covid19 pandemic will be considered legal and valid. The move is designed to make it easier for people to record their final wishes while keeping safe and practising social distancing. Currently, the law states that a will must be made ‘in the presence of’
A group of MPs have called for root and branch reforms of the inheritance tax system, including a cut in the standard rate from 40% to 10%. They also want to scrap most of the current tax reliefs, including the seven-year rule that allows you to pass on wealth without any tax implications. Instead, the
People who were overcharged for registering Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPA) in the past have just under a year left to claim a refund. A total of £54.8m is due to be repaid, but according to a report in the Sunday Times, only £14.2m has so far been claimed. LPAs enable you to nominate someone
A woman has been ordered to pay rent for the time she spent living in the house she shared with her partner after he died without making a will. The partner had been married in the 1980s and had two children. He later began a relationship with the woman involved in this case. They had
A widow has been allowed challenge her husband’s will, which could leave her homeless, even though she began taking legal action out of time. The husband had died in 2015. His only asset was the house where the widow had lived since 1993. She was aged 60 and disabled. In a 2014 will, the husband
A man has been ordered to pay back £270,000 to his mother’s estate following legal action by the executors of her will. The High Court heard evidence that in 1998 the mother had entered into a property development partnership with her youngest son. She died in 2010 and the final property sale was completed in
The UK is facing a dementia crisis that will have both social care and legal implications for millions of families over the next 20 years. Our ageing population means that the number of people suffering dementia related diseases is set to double by 2035. The Alzheimer’s Society estimates that by that time, the number of
People who were overcharged when arranging deputyships over a seven-year period can now claim refunds. It’s thought the average pay-out could be £240. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) sets the level of fees for the appointment of deputies, who help people that lose the capacity to manage their financial and welfare interests. The Office of
The High Court has granted a special order enabling a man to take legal action against his brothers in a family dispute over their father’s will. The case involved Satbir Singh Dhillon and his brothers, who were executors and trustees of the will. Dhillon sought a declaration that £532,875 had been removed from the father’s
A family have succeeded in correcting an error in a trust fund that would have resulted in a tax bill of £112,000. The case involved a discretionary trust created in 2011 in respect of the estate of a man who had died in November 2010. A beneficiary of his will was entitled to £250,000 from