Author Archives: admin

  Home Abacus Wills & Trusts  /  Articles by: admin
Categories Wills & Estate Planning

Affordable Wills vs International Wills: Best Will Writing and Estate Planning Compared

Author admin 0 Comments Posted on

Choosing between an affordable will and an international will comes down to what you own and where you own it. At Abacus Wills & Trusts, our will writing service covers both options, so you receive a document that matches your actual circumstances rather than a generic template.

This page compares the two services side by side, so you can decide which one protects your estate and your family properly, without paying for cover you do not need.

Which Will Writing is Best for You?

If your assets are in England, Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland, an affordable will is usually enough. If you own property, bank accounts, or investments abroad, an international will closes gaps that a standard UK document cannot cover.

Both are prepared by our qualified consultants who visit you at home, explain each clause in plain English, and keep your file updated for life, so you are never left guessing what your document actually means once it is signed.

What is Will Writing and Estate Planning?

Will writing and estate planning is the process of setting out, in a legally binding document, exactly what happens to your money, property, and possessions once you die. It covers guardianship for children, executor appointments, and tax planning too. At Abacus, this service ranges from a straightforward affordable will through to a detailed international will for overseas assets.

What is an Affordable Will?

An affordable will is a cost-effective, professionally drafted document for people whose assets sit mainly in the UK. It suits numerous families and covers these aspects.

  • Distribution of money as well as possessions
  • Guardianship arrangements for children
  • Executor appointments
  • Basic inheritance tax considerations

What is an International Will?

An international will addresses assets held outside the UK. It includes overseas property or holiday homes. An international will reduces the risk of double taxation alongside probate delays. Abacus advises on:

  • Foreign property as well as overseas accounts
  • Double taxation issues based on treaties
  • Translation and legal interpretation where required

Who Needs Will Writing and Estate Planning?

Almost everyone benefits from will writing and estate planning. If you have bought your first home with a partner, had a child, remarried, or built-up savings, a bespoke will protects your wishes. Without one, the intestacy rules decide who inherits, which rarely matches what you would have chosen yourself.

Who Needs an International Will?

You need an international will if you own property, investments, or accounts abroad, including holiday homes or time-share arrangements. A UK-only will can leave these assets exposed to conflicting probate rules and unexpected tax bills in the country where they sit. An international will closes that gap and keeps your estate consistent across borders.

Who Provides the Best Will Writing and Estate Planning?

Abacus Wills & Trusts provides will writing and estate planning through qualified consultants who visit you at home, at a time that suits your day. Every will is drafted around your personal and financial circumstances rather than a fixed template, and lifetime support is included, so your document stays accurate as your life changes.

Is Will Writing and Estate Planning Affordable?

Price depends on complexity. An affordable will suits simple UK estates and costs less. An international will costs more. It reflects the extra research as well as the cross-border advice involved. Typical factors affecting price include the following.

  • Number of countries holding your assets
  • Complexities in families
  • The need for trusts or tax planning

Affordable Wills or International Wills: Which Will Wins?

Neither service is universally better; the right choice depends on the location of your assets. Choose an affordable will for UK-only assets, or an international will if you hold property abroad. Many clients need:

  • An affordable will for UK-based assets
  • An international will for property held abroad
  • Both, working together, for a complete estate plan

Book Your Will Writing and Estate Planning Consultation

Ready to put a proper will writing plan in place, whether your assets are entirely in the UK or spread across several countries? Our consultants come to your home, explain your options in plain English, and draft a will you can actually rely on. Call us today on +44 845 025 0111 or email info@abacuswillsandtrusts.com to book your consultation and get your estate properly protected, for yourself and for the people who depend on you.

FAQs

How Often Should Wills Be Updated?

Review your will every three to five years, or straight after major life events such as marriage, divorce, a new child, or buying property abroad. Always remember that an outdated will can leave assets distributed in ways you no longer intend.

What Happens if you Die Intestate?

Dying without a valid will means the intestacy rules decide who inherits your estate. Unmarried partners, stepchildren, and close friends receive nothing. Note that the distant relatives you barely know could inherit everything you own.

How Do Home Visits Work?

One of our consultants arranges a convenient time and comes to your home, at any point in the day, to discuss your wishes face to face. There is no need to travel or take time off work for will drafting.

What is a Codicil?

A codicil is a formal amendment. It is added to an existing will and is used to make small changes. These changes include updating an executor, adding a new beneficiary, or adjusting an address. It ensures you do not have to rewrite the entire document from scratch.

Categories Wills & Estate Planning

How Much Does a Basic Will Cost in the UK? A Clear 2026 Guide

Author admin 0 Comments Posted on

A basic will in the UK typically costs anywhere from under £50 with an online provider to £300 or more through a high street solicitor, depending on how much personal advice and support is included. At Abacus Wills & Trusts, a basic will starts from just £19, making it one of the more accessible starting points available, without cutting out the professional advice that makes a will legally sound.

What counts as a “basic” will?

A basic will is designed for straightforward estates: a single person, or a couple, who want to leave everything to clearly named beneficiaries without setting up trusts, business succession plans, or complex tax structuring. It still needs to cover the essentials properly — who inherits what, who’s appointed as executor, and who becomes guardian for any children under 18. Missing any of these can leave a will open to challenge later, which is exactly why “basic” shouldn’t mean rushed or generic.

Why Basic Wills prices vary so much

The wide price range across the market mostly comes down to what’s actually included. A template downloaded online with no advice sits at the cheap end, but the person filling it in carries all the risk if it’s worded incorrectly or witnessed the wrong way. A solicitor’s fee, at the other end, often reflects office overheads as much as the complexity of the work itself. Abacus sits between these two extremes: a properly drafted, professionally checked will, delivered through a home visit or consultation, without the higher fees that come with a traditional law firm.

What’s actually included in a basic will appointment

A proper basic will service should include a consultation to understand your wishes, drafting by someone trained to spot the details people miss (like what happens if a beneficiary dies before you, or how jointly owned property is handled), and clear guidance on signing and witnessing so the will is valid. At Abacus, this also comes with the option of a home visit, which matters most for anyone who finds it difficult to travel, or simply prefers not to.

When a basic will isn’t enough

A basic will works well for straightforward situations, but it’s worth stepping up to fuller advice if you own a business, have a blended family, are unmarried and living with a partner, or have an estate large enough to be affected by inheritance tax. None of this means a basic will was the wrong starting point — it often makes sense to begin simply and build on it as circumstances change, rather than delaying because the “full” version feels daunting.

If you’re ready to get a basic will in place, Abacus Wills & Trusts offers home visits and professional consultants at transparent, upfront pricing — a sensible first step for anyone who hasn’t yet put their wishes in writing.

Frequently asked questions

Is a £19 will actually legally valid?

Yes, provided it’s properly drafted, signed, and witnessed according to the Wills Act 1837. Price reflects the service model, not the document’s legal standing.

Can I upgrade my basic will later?

Yes. Most people who start with a basic will return to add a trust or more detailed provisions once their circumstances change, rather than starting from scratch.

Do I need a solicitor for a basic will?

Not necessarily. A regulated will writing service can draft a legally sound basic will at a fraction of typical solicitor fees, provided it follows the correct legal formalities.

How long does it take to get a basic will done?

Most basic wills can be drafted, reviewed, and signed within a couple of weeks of the initial consultation, sometimes faster if there’s no complexity to work through.

Categories Wills & Estate Planning

What Happens to Your Rental Properties Without a Will? Landlords, Take Note

Author admin 0 Comments Posted on

Dying in the absence of a valid Will leaves rental properties at the mercy of intestacy rules. Those rules decide which relatives inherit, not the people who helped build, manage, or maintain the portfolio.

The result can be slow, expensive, and deeply inconvenient. Rent still falls due, boilers still fail, lenders still expect payments, and tenants still need answers. Nobody may have clear authority to deal with those matters straight away.

What Happens Without A Will?

Without a Will, property held in a sole name usually becomes part of the estate. An administrator must then apply for the legal authority needed to collect assets, settle debts, deal with tax, and distribute what remains.

That process can become awkward with rental homes. A three-bedroom terrace in Leeds might have a mortgage, a managing agent, two tenants, and several urgent repairs. None of those practical details disappear after the landlord’s death.

The administrator may need to arrange valuations, contact the lender, review tenancy paperwork, collect rent, and decide whether the property should be retained or sold.

Who will Receive the Rental Property?

Intestacy rules place a surviving spouse or civil partner first in line in England and Wales. Children or their descendants may inherit part of the estate in some circumstances. If no spouse, civil partner, or child survives, the order moves through other relatives.

That order may produce an outcome that feels completely wrong for a landlord’s family.

An unmarried partner may have lived in the property portfolio’s main home, handled tenant calls, and paid household bills for twenty years. That partner does not automatically inherit under intestacy rules. Stepchildren do not usually inherit either.

A sibling living hundreds of miles away could receive a share instead. Such a result may create resentment before any property sale has even been discussed.

Family Circumstances Matter

Many landlords have blended families, second marriages, adult children, or informal business arrangements. A basic assumption that “the family will sort it out” rarely survives contact with several beneficiaries and several properties.

A Will can name beneficiaries directly. It can give executors instructions about management, sales, trusts, and the treatment of rental income.

Is a Will Writing Service for Landlords UK Helpful?

A will writing service for landlords UK can help record property wishes in a way that reflects the actual portfolio. A useful service should raise questions about ownership, mortgages, tenants, business interests, executors, trusts, and possible disputes.

That detail matters. Leaving “the rental properties” to one person may sound clear, yet a portfolio might include a flat owned jointly, a house held through a partnership, and a commercial unit with a long lease.

A Will should name executors capable of dealing with those arrangements. Suitable executors need sound judgement, reliable records, and enough time for estate administration.

How Joint Ownership Changes the Result?

Joint ownership can change how a property passes after death. A property held as joint tenants usually passes automatically to the surviving owner. That share does not pass through the Will.

A property held as tenants in common works differently. The deceased owner’s defined share becomes part of the estate and passes under the Will or intestacy rules.

For example, a property owned 60% by one landlord and 40% by a business partner may not pass in the way either family expects. The ownership documents need checking before any succession plan can be trusted.

Property Records Need Checking

A useful property schedule should list the address, ownership type, mortgage lender, estimated value, agent, tenant, insurance provider, and rental account.

This is the kind of paperwork that looks boring until a death occurs. Then, missing information can hold up decisions for weeks.

Land Registry records, partnership agreements, loan documents, and trust paperwork should match the intended plan. If the documents conflict, a solicitor may need to resolve the position before beneficiaries receive anything.

Issue for Tenants

Tenants can face uncertainty when a landlord dies. A letting agent may handle routine tasks. However, larger decisions can require authority from the estate administrator.

A tenant with a broken heating system cannot wait for family members to agree about the future of a property. A clear management contact should exist in the landlord’s records.

Government guidance gives a separate example involving a tenant who dies without an executor or Will. In England, the tenancy transfers temporarily to the Public Trustee, and landlords must follow the proper notice process before reclaiming the property.

That example shows the wider point: death-related tenancy matters need correct paperwork, not informal assumptions.

How Can Landlords Reduce Delays?

A will writing service for landlords UK may help organise the legal and practical details before a crisis occurs. Useful preparation starts with a full list of assets and liabilities.

A Will may need to cover:

  • Solely owned rental properties
  • Shares held as tenants in common
  • Property businesses and partnerships
  • Outstanding mortgages and guarantees

What Should Landlords Do Now?

A landlord without a Will should arrange one before the next purchase, refinance, or family change. A landlord with an existing Will should check whether it still matches the current portfolio.

Final Words

A rental portfolio represents years of deposits, repairs, tenant relationships, borrowing, and risk. Leaving succession to intestacy rules gives relatives a legal process, not a sensible plan. A properly prepared Will gives executors clearer instructions and gives tenants a better chance of uninterrupted management.

Abacus Wills and Trusts has trained professionals who can guide landlords through the Will-making process at home and help formalize estate wishes. Our service supports straightforward estates, larger property portfolios, and planning involving trusts through our basic Will service.

FAQs

Can a Will cover overseas property?

Overseas property may need advice under the law of the country where the asset sits.

Should executors receive rental records?

Mortgage and agent records can prevent avoidable delays.

Can several people inherit one property?

Numerous people can get a single property.

Categories International Wills

Own Property in Multiple Countries? Here’s Why You Need an International Will

Author admin 0 Comments Posted on

A single UK Will rarely covers everything you own if your assets sit in more than one country. Each jurisdiction applies its own probate rules, and without a document built to work across borders, your family can face lengthy delays and legal costs that could have been avoided.

This catches more people out than you’d think. A holiday home in Spain, a rental flat in Dubai, shares held with a broker overseas – none of these fit neatly under a standard British Will, and the gap tends to surface at the worst possible moment for the people left behind.

Why Does Owning Foreign Property Complicate Probate?

Every country applies its own inheritance laws. Some don’t recognise a UK Will at all, which means your estate could sit frozen, be taxed twice, or be distributed according to rules you never agreed to.

Foreign courts frequently require documents to be translated and notarised before probate can proceed; local legal standards must be met before a single asset is released. Families who aren’t warned of this beforehand often find themselves waiting, with no clear timeline and mounting professional fees.

There is also the matter of forced heirship. In several jurisdictions, a fixed share of an estate must pass to particular relatives by law, whatever the Will itself states. A carefully written UK Will can still be overridden on foreign soil for this reason alone.

What Exactly Is an International Will?

An international Will is a legal document. It is recognised in multiple jurisdictions. This Will distributes your foreign assets.

It complements your existing UK Will. Note that each document operates within its legal system. It addresses the particular requirements of the country in which it applies.

For anyone with a portfolio spread across several countries, international Wills for global investors are close to essential rather than optional. Property, pensions, and business interests held abroad each carry distinct legal weight, and overlooking any one of them can create real difficulty for those responsible for administering the estate.

Which Assets Need Covering in an International Will?

Property is the most obvious category, though rarely the only one requiring attention. Bank accounts, investment portfolios, business shareholdings, and valuable personal possessions held abroad can all fall under a legal framework quite different from the one that applies in the UK.

Time-shares are frequently overlooked. Modest in value compared with a house, they remain a legal asset in a foreign jurisdiction, and unresolved ownership can delay the wider probate process considerably.

Assets held across more than one tax treaty zone raise a further concern: double taxation. Certain treaties between the UK and other countries exist to reduce this burden, though identifying which treaty governs which asset is precisely the kind of detail that proves difficult without proper advice.

How Does an International Will Prevent Double Taxation?

An international Will cannot remove every tax obligation on its own, but it can be structured with existing UK tax treaties in mind, lowering the risk of an estate being taxed twice on the same assets. Double taxation arises when two countries each claim the right to tax the same income or assets.

Do You Still Need a Separate UK Will Alongside It?

International wills for global investors are designed to work alongside a UK Will. Note that each document addresses the assets as well as the legal requirements.

Combining every asset from every country into a single document tends to cause problems. Foreign courts generally expect paperwork that meets their own legal standards. Note that a Will drafted solely under UK law may not be accepted when tested overseas.

What Happens If You Die Without International Wills for Global Investors?

Dying without proper cross-border estate planning means foreign assets may be distributed under local intestacy law, which can bear little resemblance to what you would have chosen yourself.

The practical consequences are considerable: separate probate applications running in parallel, legal fees accumulating in more than one currency, and a wait of months, sometimes years, before beneficiaries can access what is rightfully theirs. Property investors holding assets in two or three countries encounter this difficulty regularly, often without anticipating it until it is too late to prevent.

Who Should Consider Setting One Up?

Anyone holding property, savings, or investments outside the UK should give this serious consideration, particularly where assets are located in a country with forced heirship rules or a notoriously slow probate system.

Landlords with overseas rental property, retirees with a second home abroad, and business owners with holdings in more than one country are among those most exposed to this risk. If any of this describes your circumstances, it is worth reviewing precisely what your estate looks like on paper.

Final Words

Cross-border estate planning should not be left until later in life. The sooner your documents reflect the true extent of your assets, the less your family will need to untangle when the time comes. International wills exist because domestic planning alone was never designed to accommodate multiple jurisdictions, and addressing that gap now spares considerable difficulty later. Sound advice at an early stage ensures your wishes are honoured, spares your family the burden of cross-border paperwork, and allows your estate to move through probate with far less friction than it would otherwise encounter.

We at Abacus Wills & Trusts can advise you accordingly and create an appropriate International Will for you. We will also ensure that any document we create for you is low-cost, competitive. Our team will endeavour to beat any quote from elsewhere, all whilst maintaining our professional standards.

FAQs

Is an international Will legally binding everywhere?

It is recognised in countries that follow the Uniform Law on the Form of an International Will, though recognition varies elsewhere.

Can an international Will be updated later?

You can revise it whenever foreign assets change.

Does it cover jointly owned overseas property?

It can cover property owned jointly. Note that the joint ownership rules differ by country.

Categories Probate

Understanding Probate

Author admin 0 Comments Posted on

Once a person dies, their Will goes into probate. This is the process where the Executor(s) of the Will applies to get a ‘Grant of Representation’ or a ‘Grant of Probate’ to access the estate of the deceased person and distribute everything according to the Will left.

You can apply for the Grant of Probate, as can a solicitor on an individual’s behalf, or an external person licensed to provide a probate service.

Probate can sometimes be a confusing process, to make things easier to understand, we’ve broken the process down.

The process of probate can be broken down in 5 steps:

1. You will need to check that there is a Will in place. This will normally detail who should be the Executor of the Will; if not, you will have to apply for the Grant of Representation.

Should there be no Will at all, the next of kin can then apply for ‘Grant of Letters of Administration’ and become an ‘administrator’ of the estate.

2. Apply for probate, or Grant of Representation. This will give you legal access to the person’s estate.

3. Pay any Inheritance Tax that is due, as well as any unpaid debts.

4. Collect all of the estate’s assets, such as money from the sale of the person’s property.

5. Distribute the estate, according to the Will, to all beneficiaries listed in the Will.

We know that the process of probate can be long and sometimes stressful, we at Abacus Wills and Trusts can put you at ease and guide you through the process, as well as being able to help and advise you in appointing Executors in your own Will.

If you have any questions or queries on the process of probate, or if we can help in any way, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

1 2
Company Reg No. 12217447 (England & Wales)

Copyright © 2026 Abacus Wills & Trusts trading name of Abacus Wills & Trusts Global Limited.

Website Created by Revere Studios.