Do wills need registering

[Ric.ror]

My Uncle made a will with his solicitor approx 15 years ago. Some of his brothers have since died and he has bought a will from the post office to re-write it leaving most of his money to my aunt with small amounts to other family members - they have no children. He does not want to pay to go to the solicitor to make a new will so does he need to send a copy through to the solicitor or can he just ask him to destroy the first will

[Ethel]

He doesn't need to do anything - it is the last will that counts.

[almcd007]

If the basis of the will is still the same - he doesn't have to change it just because someone has died who was a beneficiary There are always provisions in place and in the wording for such events. Wills are like flow charts - the have directions in the wording to cover possibilities of deaths since the making of the Will.

If he's had a change of mind of what he wants to go and where - he should really go back to the solicitor and get them to draw up a new will with the new requests as any home made Will could easily be contested over a properly drawn up Will.

[Ric.ror]

He wants to leave the bulk still to my aunt but he had made small provisions for his siblings (about �2K each) Most of them have now died but he is worried their children will now inherit - he does not even know them. My aunt is the executor and he is worried she will have to go about finding these far flung relatives

[dzug]

He needs to cancel the old will in the new one - unless this is specifically done it is possible for both wills to be valid, even if the original of the old is destroyed.

It would still be an idea to tell the solicitor that the old will is no longer valid - don't send him a copy of the new one if you can avoid it. It will give him an excuse to charge.

Don't assume that the will bought from 'the post office' is any good. The Post Office do not sell, do, or endorse wills in any way shape or form. The manager of the post office is making a bit on the side (which he is perfectly entittled to do) by selling stationery.

[dzug]

Oh and wills do not need registering - until you come to gat probate. Just keep it in a safe place in the house and make sure the executor knows where it is.

There is a scheme whereby you can (for a fee) lodge your will with the Probate Office when you make it. It's entirely voluntary and very few people do it.

[Ric.ror]

So I could type up a new will for him - using the old one as a template - leaving out the dead relatives, get him and the witnesses to sign and date it and it would supercede the former one, or does it have to be a particular document

[dzug]

It's quite valid if typed up on plain paper - and probably better as the form may have bits on it you don't really understand the effect of.

Just start off 'I revoke all previous wills'

and make sure two witnesses to the signature also sign.