If you do not have children, planning is still about two things: who inherits what you leave behind and who can act for you if you are alive but cannot.

These packages are designed to give clear legal instructions and reduce the risk of your wishes being ignored, your money going to the wrong person or your finances ad care being left in limbo.

‍Why it can still get complicated

Couples without children often have gaps in their planning without realising it:
• if you are not married or in a civil partnership, you do not automatically inherit from each other
• what happens to your home can depend on how it is owned, even if you bought it together
• after the second death, you may want your estate to go to specific people or causes rather than being decided by default
• if you die together or close in time, you need a clear plan for who inherits
• if one of you loses capacity, the other may not have legal authority to access accounts, sell property or make care decisions without a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA)
• if there is disagreement within the wider family, delays and costs can rise quickly

‍What you typically need in place

• A Will‍
  
  • Sets out who inherits, who deals with your estate and what happens to everything you leave behind.
• Lasting Power of Attorney for Property and Financial Affairs
  
  • ‍So someone you trust can manage bills and finances if you are alive but cannot act.
• Lasting Power of Attorney for Health and Welfare‍
  
  • So someone you trust can make health and care decisions if you cannot.
• ‍Letter of wishes‍
  
  • Helps explain your intentions to executors and trustees and can reduce misunderstandings.

Optional but useful

• A simple information pack for your executors and family‍
  
  • A short list of what you own, where the key documents are and who to contact‍

Downsides of not having this in place

• Without a Will:‍
  
  • the law decides who inherits and who administers your estate
  • your partner or close friends may have no rights and may have to take legal steps to claim anything
  • your money can become delayed and tied up in admin
  • your wishes around gifts, pets and funeral plans may not be followed

• Without Lasting Powers of Attorney:‍
  
  • nobody has clear legal authority to deal with finances or health decisions if you lose capacity
  • your family may need a Court of Protection which is slow and costly

Payment options

If Sail Legal is handling your conveyancing we can add the cost to your conveyancing bill. We can also offer Klarna so you can spread the cost.

We offer two packages and you can choose what suits your budget and preferred level of risk. Do click for more details: