Wills Jacobsen

Wills Probate & Trusts Solicitors Huntingdon


01487 808000

Wills Jacobsen Legal
  • Home
  • Services
    • Wills
      • Making a Will
      • Why you should make a will
      • Wills pricelist
    • Powers of Attorney
      • Assigning an LPA
      • Why shoud you assign an LPA
      • LPAs pricelist
    • Probate & the Administration of Estates
      • Your obligations as a personal representative
      • Terms & Conditions
      • Probate Assist Scheme
        • Terms & Conditions
        • Probate Assist Questionnaire
        • Client care information
      • Probate Costs Transparency
        • Probate Assist Scheme
        • Fixed Fee Probate
        • Full Administration Service
    • Trusts
      • Lifetime Trusts
      • Property Trusts
      • Property Trust Questionnaire
    • Inheritance Tax
      • IHT Exemptions
      • Main Residence Relief
    • Capacity Issues
      • Best Interest Decisions related to health and welfare
      • Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS)
    • Asset & Wealth Protection
      • Powers of Attorney
      • Property Protection Trusts
      • Spousal Bypass Trusts
      • Family Trusts
      • Trusts for Children
      • Wills
  • About
  • News
  • FAQ
  • Testimonials
  • Contact
Cheap Will costs woman her inheritance

Cheap Will costs woman her inheritance

A woman is seeking hundreds of thousands of pounds compensation from Barclays, claiming the bank’s will-writing service resulted in her losing a stake in a valuable London home. Barclays is contesting the claim.

The woman’s complaint has already been assessed by the Financial Ombudsman Service and the bank found at fault. The Ombudsman ordered Barclays to pay “a fair and reasonable settlement” but unusually, Barclays decided to ignore the Financial Ombudsman’s recommendation, on the grounds its will-writing division is not regulated, and therefore does not have to adhere to the Ombudsman’s findings. The Ombudsman has accepted this is technically correct.

In 2007 Ebenezer Aregbesola used Barclays’ £90 will-writing service to make a will dealing with his various assets including homes overseas and in London. His will instructed half of the London home to be given to his daughter, Tinuola Aregbesola, on his death.

The property was owned jointly by Mr Aregbesola and his wife as joint tenants and because of this, on Mr Aregbesola’s death, the property went wholly to his wife – in contravention of the wishes spelt out in the will.

In order for the Will to work as it should, Barclays should have severed the joint tenancy. This would have enabled the deceased’s half of the property’s to pass to his daughter. This is a simple formality and basic procedure in such cases. A solicitor would issue a notice of severance as a matter of good practise. However, because it was neglected in this case, Mr Aregbesola’s widow is legally entitled to the whole property.

The case highlights the danger of popular, cheap “DIY” wills which are often too simplistic to accurately reflect a person’s wishes.

How to avoid similar problems:-

Where parents remarry and enter into property transactions with their new spouse, wills bequeathing assets to children of former relationships need to be checked.
Wills should be reviewed regularly (every 12-24 months) to ensure they are up to date
Professional advice from a solicitor should be sought when making a Will. Average fees are around £200 but you are covered by the solicitors indemnity insurance if things go wrong, and a legal firm is regulated giving you extra protection
There is now a growing complexity of family structures, and this coupled with the rising value of house prices and estates, means that a properly qualified and experienced lawyer is best placed to make your Will for you.

Tagged With: compensation, inheritance, wills

Recent News

The registration of trusts with HMRC

The registration of trusts with HMRC

Probate fees set to increase

Probate fees set to increase under MOJ plans

Dont leave it to the Court to decide on your medical treatment

Don’t leave it to the Court to decide on your medical treatment

Business Interruption Case

Supreme Court success for FCA and small businesses in Covid-19 Business Interruption case

Search by tags

address advocacy advocate asset protection attorney fee refund business Business Interruption Care Act care fees Covid-19 death deceased Dilnot family trust FREE HMRC home fees IHT IMCA inheritance inheritance tax Inheritance tax savings insurance intestacy lockdown LPA LPA refund mental capacity office move pensions planning power of attorney power of attorney refund pre pay funeral plans probate residential care seminar Solicitors for the Elderly tax trusts vaccination vulnerable wealth protection what to do after a death wills

Wills Jacobsen are authorised and regulated by CILEx Regulation for Probate: Authorisation Number 2164535. Read the CILEx Code of Conduct.

Wills Jacobsen is the trading name for Wills Jacobsen Legal Ltd

Company number: 09511808

 

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

Registered office:1 Broughton Business Centre, Causeway Road, Broughton, Huntingdon, PE28 3AR

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Cookie Policy
  • Complaints and Redress

· website built by Silver Websites · All Rights Reserved ·


Back to Top

We use cookies to make our site work. OK Cookie settings Cookie Policy
Privacy & Cookies

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT