Heppenstalls Team Becomes Dementia Friends
At Heppenstalls, we are committed to supporting all our clients with care, understanding, and practical guidance. As part of this commitment, several members of our team recently completed a Dementia Friends session run by the Alzheimer’s Society. We are proud to now be Dementia Friends. The session offered valuable insights into how dementia affects everyday […]
Real Life Problems and their solutions – Altering a Will
Real Life Problems and their solutions – altering a Will Mr B is 84 and his brother had recently passed away leaving everything to him. It was a sizeable inheritance. Mr B is widower with 2 adult children and several adult grandchildren and he himself had savings and property of considerable value. He was concerned […]
Is probate required? Real life problems and the solutions.
Real life problems and the solutions – Is probate required ? Mrs D came in to see us as her husband had just passed away. In his Will he had left everything to her. Most of their assets were in joint names such as their main bank account, a shared savings account and their home. […]
Divorce proceedings and your Will
Divorce proceedings and your Will If you have commenced divorce proceedings but not finalised them then your Will is still valid. However, your former spouse is treated as if they “died” on the day the decree absolute is granted by the Court. That means any gift in the Will falls back into the residue for […]
Consideration of Pets in your Will
Consideration of Pets in your Will We are a nation of pet lovers with approximately 12 million households having pets with 51 million pets owned. They are part of the family and very important to us, so it seems right we should give them some consideration when it comes to preparing our Wills. So what […]
Cohabitation – no such thing as Common Law Marriage
There are more than 6 million cohabiting couples in the UK and the number is rising. However, despite how common an occurrence it now is, problems can arise frequently for these couples upon death or separation. If you are co-habiting, you do not have the same rights as a married couple; and contrary to popular […]
DIY Probate Pitfalls
DIY Probate Pitfalls In 2017 there were 95,000 applications for a Grant of Representation by individuals; that is for Probate where there is a Will, or Letters of Administration on intestacy or other reasons. This compares with 155,000 applications through a Solicitor or alternative business structures. The person taking the Grant is called “The Personal […]
Second Marriages
Second Marriages We know that circumstances around a second marriage are more complicated than the first. There are often children from a previous relationship to consider, as well as assets you have acquired during your first marriage – for example property, savings and a pension pot. Upon your second marriage you will need to create […]
Escalating Ground Rent
In recent months, some homes in the UK have been reported as almost unsaleable due to doubling ground rents. Traditionally, houses have been sold as ‘freehold’ meaning that homeowners own the whole of their home and have complete control over it. However in recent years, some developers, more predominantly in the North West area of […]
Did you make a New Years resolution?
You have joined the gym, signed up to a more active lifestyle, given up chocolate and wine. But do you need to put your Legal Affairs in Order? Not sure then read on……. Do you have a Will? If not you are not alone two thirds of adults in the UK don’t, but do you […]