Wills, Inheritance Tax and Tax Planning

'Let us help you'

Everyone should make a will but especially if you have children or if you own property. Failure to plan your affairs in the form of a will can add significantly to the natural distress and stress felt by your family and friends at the time of your death. It can be even more significant if you have no close family as, in this situation, should you die without a will and no near kin are traced your estate would go to the Crown.

Hedleys will ensure the preparation of your will is quick and as simple as possible given your particular circumstances. You choose your own executor. If you do not appoint an executor, once again, the law will decide for you. A will enables you to decide how your body will be dealt with after death - cremated, buried, the type of funeral service and whether your body parts can be used for therapeutic or other medical purposes. You can also stipulate who should be appointed guardian of your children and of course who should benefit from your estate whether it be family, friends, loved ones or charities.

With the rapid rise in the value of peoples’ homes everyone should consider inheritance tax with everything in your estate over £325,000 being taxed at 40%.

The making of a will should be one of the first things you do when considering tax planning. We can advise you on ways to reduce the tax taken from your estate including the setting up of discretionary trusts ensuring the maximum amount of your estate goes to the people you love.

Register Your Will

Regularly reviewing your will and having it registered is one of the most important things you can do for your loved ones. Hedleys Solicitors are a founder member of Certainty, the National Will Register. http://www.certainty.co.uk/

Have you registered your Will?
We can now register your Will for you and if it was written with us prior to 18th September 2012 it’s FREE! After this date there may be a small registration charge.

Why should I register my Will?
If your Will is deemed lost or was never written your loved ones and benefactors are exposed to potential financial loss and obviously additional stress. We hold your Will safely, but we can digitally record its location on the Wills register so that benefactors can always locate it when the time comes. It is a fact that the majority of people (67% in a recent survey) would not know where to locate parents' Wills. The passage of time, house moves, and new relationships are all contributing factors to this statistic. Once registered, you will receive an official Certainty Certificate with your own registration number that can be filed with your personal belongings. This certificate is valid whatever your change in circumstances may be. It may also be photocopied and given to your executors / members of your family.

How Do I Register?
Call, write or email us from our contact page and we can register your Will today.

Why choose Hedleys?

A Country Legal Practice with the Personal Touch Hedleys started life more than 40 years ago as the Surrey office of a firm of city lawyers based in East Horsley. Now independent the firm maintains its city expertise providing effective and innovative solutions to legal problems.

'City Expertise in a Country Location' Read More

Client Feedback

"Some of our previous experiences with the legal profession have been a bit hit and miss, but we are delighted with Hedleys. The service Sarah Christmas provides is fantastic – she responds very quickly to our calls, much faster than many firms would. Communication is excellent and we value that very highly as we work to tight deadlines and need regular updates. Hedleys provide the kind of all round business model that our company now needs, and we are happy to recommend them."

Marble Hill Property Consultants

"The purchase of a large number of property leases and the freehold was planned against a very tight schedule and deadline. Hedleys operated efficiently, without delays, and enabled us to complete our purchase within our timescales."

Roger Charters Birchwood Asset Management Ltd

"I was initially recommended to Hedleys by my accountants, and I have been very impressed with the service I have received. Sarah Christmas handled my property dispute extremely efficiently, responding quickly and patiently to my many emails, and making the whole process stress free. I have subsequently worked with Chris Hughes, who has an excellent eye for detail and ensured the ideal outcome for me. I feel in safe hands with Hedleys – they really are focused on my best interests."

Des Reid

"I originally chose Hedleys as they were local to where we lived, and I think the fact that I have used them 3 times in relatively quick succession speaks for itself. During this period I also used another solicitor, and this made me realise just how good the Hedley practice is – they provide swift communication and very professional advice, and have reasonable charges. I would definitely recommend them."

John Derry

"I first used Hedleys as they were my Uncle’s solicitor. I developed a confident and positive relationship with Chris Hughes and found him to be effective, efficient and plain speaking. I built up a trust with Chris, which I felt was very important, and I knew that my best interests were being secured. Because we communicated mostly via email this made contact easy for both parties, enabling us to look at formal documents and ratify anything. Above all, I was impressed with the quiet efficiency of the processes and I have absolute confidence in Hedleys."

Richard Williams

"I found Hedleys by doing a Google search on local solicitors. I chose them because they responded quickly and were well priced. And I certainly wasn’t disappointed! They dealt with everything in a timely and friendly fashion. They were happy to go the extra mile, and I felt they really fought my corner. They were very personable, good value for money, quick and efficient. In fact, I was so pleased with the service I even sent flowers!"

Sue Cooper