While we’re all still in the midst of a deadly global pandemic, barrister Ibraheem Dulmeer –
www.parkhomeslaw.com – explains why it’s never been more important to make a will…

A will lets you decide what happens to your money, property and possessions after your death. Unfortunately, the pandemic may highlight the importance of thinking about this.

The Government guidance provides that you can write your own will. This may not be a good idea if the will isn’t simple and straightforward. You may wish to instruct a lawyer to do this for you.

If you have a will already, it is also important to be aware that you can update your will by making a change to it. This is called a codicil. Or simply, you may choose to make a new will.

Where there’s a will…
In this article I will highlight 11 reasons why a will may be beneficial:
1. You are in control of all your estate and your earned money and possessions that you have attained throughout your life. Due to this you can dictate clearly who gets what and how much.
2. At the same time, you are in control of who should not benefit from your estate.
3. As none of us know when we will pass away we may have children or grandchildren who at the time of the wills being drawn up are under 18 years of age. In these circumstances you can decide when they are to inherit. You can decide that once they have reached 18 or 21 years of age. You can even decide that they will inherit once they have for example completed a particular level of education such as college or university.
4. If you make a will you can also make sure you don’t pay more Inheritance Tax than you need to.
5. A will protects the people that you love the most and the will is your voice for them. Especially if you have not married or entered into a Civil Partnership with them. They in turn will have to make an application to the courts to be awarded a share of your estate.
6. You should ensure that you have drafted a will with a professional. This is in case there are disputes between the beneficiaries named in your will.
7. It also ensures that the administration of an estate takes place in a quicker and less costly manner.
8. If there are children from previous relationships, then those children can also be protected.
9. Your will is not just a place to distribute the wealth which you have amassed over the years, it is also a platform to dictate and protect how your children or grandchildren are to be looked after if they are minors (under the age of 18 years). You are able to appoint guardians. You may wish to speak to the individuals that you are considering to name as guardians to ensure that they are happy to do so and that it does not come as a shock and surprise to them.
10.Within your will you are also able to make donations to different charities, organisations and/or religious groups.
11.You are able to advice your family of how you wish your funeral to take place.

Alleviating unwanted stresses
After a loved one has passed away it is a very difficult, sad and challenging time for the family and the loved ones that are left behind. Having a will ensures that you are helping the loved ones left behind in focusing on your wishes and not being stressed as to what they should do with regard to administrative and legal aspects. It also ensures that your wishes will remain as they are and that your wishes will be honoured.

Ibraheem Dulmeer is a barrister and mediator at Normanton Chambers, 218 Strand, London, WC2R 1AT. Ibraheem can provide you with the legal advice required when buying a park home and advice you on consumer laws.
Ibraheem accepts instructions directly from the public, as a public access barrister on any park home matter.
This means you may instruct him directly, he can be contacted by telephone on: 07939 259 924 by email on info@ibraheemdulmeer.com
You can also contact him using his website: www.parkhomeslaw.com

The information provided in this article serves as useful guidance only. Please note that this article is not intended to be comprehensive. If in doubt, you could seek specific advice from a qualified lawyer. This material should not be replicated without the author’s consent. Ibraheem Dulmeer © 2021