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

Single planning often involves risks that are easy to miss until it is too late:

• if you are not married or in a civil partnership, any partner has no automatic right to inherit from you

• if you want to leave anything to friends, godchildren or charities, it only happens if you set it out properly

• different assets can pass in different ways, so your Will needs to line up with things like pension nominations and life insurance

• if you have pets, someone needs clear authority and funds to care for them

• if you are ill or have an accident, someone needs legal authority to manage bills, property and health decisions

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
• Replacement guardian and replacement trustee planning‍
  
  • So there is a clear plan B

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: