Trustpilot
Will Writing Services in Salford
Professionally drafted Wills, personally prepared using 27 years of legal experience. Fixed fees are agreed upfront, with free home visits throughout Salford and the wider Greater Manchester area. Telephone and video appointments are also available.
Put the right plans in place today and enjoy the reassurance of knowing that your wishes are clear, your affairs are organised and the people you care about are better protected.
No obligation. Tell me what you need and I will explain the suitable options and costs before you decide.
Lasting Powers of Attorney and Living Wills can also be prepared alongside your Will or as separate services.
See why clients trust Wise Owl Wills
27 years of legal experience
Fixed Fees agreed upfront
Free Salford Home visit
Personally drafted for you
Documents usually provided within 7 days
Read what clients say about the clear advice, personal service and reassurance they received when putting their plans in place.
Excellent
Trustpilot
about 12 days ago
Stephen at Wise Owl Wills
We asked Stephen at Wise Owl Wills to prepare our mirror Wills and a letter of wishes. He listened carefully to what we wanted, explained our options clearly and helped us put our wishes into words. Stephen explained how the Wills would provide for each other and our family, and how the letter of wishes could offer additional guidance alongside them. We appreciated having time to ask questions and discuss the details. The personal service made the whole process straightforward and reassuring. We would recommend Wise Owl Wills to couples looking for professionally drafted Wills and thoughtful, practical guidance.
about 1 month ago
A great mirror will service
Me and my partner used Wise Owl Wills for our mirror Wills and a Lasting Power of Attorney. Stephen explained everything in a way that was easy to understand and never made us feel rushed or pressured. The price was agreed beforehand, so we knew exactly what we were paying. Everything was sorted quickly and professionally, and we now feel much happier knowing our affairs are in order. I would definitely recommend Wise Owl Wills to anyone in Denton or Greater Manchester.
about 1 month ago
An excellent personal service could…
An excellent personal service could recommend enough
about 1 month ago
Stephen at Wise Owl Wills prepared both…
Stephen at Wise Owl Wills prepared both my Will and Lasting power of attorney making whole process straightforward easy to understand explaining options clearly and answered questions ensured documents reflected my wishes. He was professional throughout thorough and reassuring. I now have peace of mind knowing that my family provided for and that right people can make appropriate decisions for me if needed. I would highly recommend Wise Owl Wills.
about 1 month ago
Wise Owls wills great help
We found the writing of the will very helpful and was given advice on how to put in our wishes.Found the whole experience stress free and would recommend them to our friends.
about 1 month ago
Easy communication
Easy communication, professionally written wills covering all of the technical issues necessary. Pleased with the price and the result.
Fixed Will-writing fees in Salford
You will know the cost before deciding whether to proceed. The displayed price is the total fee for the stated service and no VAT is added.
Will-writing fees
Choose the Will that provides the right protection for you and your family. Every Will is personally prepared for your circumstances, with clear guidance and a fixed fee agreed before drafting begins.
Additional Will-planning services
Add only the supporting documents your plans require, with each additional service clearly priced in advance.
If your instructions reveal that a different service would be more appropriate, I will explain that and confirm any change in price before undertaking the work. Lasting Powers of Attorney and Living Wills are also available, with their fees and purposes explained below.
Three simple steps to put your Will in place
1 – Tell me what you need
Call me on 0161 524 1033 or complete the short online form. I will arrange a convenient, no-obligation consultation to discuss what you need.
2 – Talk through your choices
We talk through your family, assets and priorities. I explain the suitable options and agree the fixed fee with you.
3 - Your documents are personally prepared
I personally prepare your Will and normally aim to provide the draft within seven days of receiving all the information required.
The same guided process can cover a Will, one or both types of Lasting Power of Attorney, a Living Will or a suitable combination of documents. You will also receive guidance about signing and witnessing your Will correctly. A Will becomes legally effective only once it has been properly signed.
Why choose Wise Owl Wills
27 years of legal experience focused on you and your family.
Wise Owl Wills was founded by Stephen Rhodes, who was called to the Bar in 1999 and has 27 years of legal experience. Having drafted Wills and dealt with disputes arising from poorly prepared or unclear Wills, Stephen understands both how these important documents should be prepared and what can go wrong when someone’s wishes are not expressed properly. You deal directly with Stephen throughout, from your first conversation to the completion of your documents.
Wise Owl Wills is an independent Will-writing and estate-planning business, not a barristers’ practice, and Stephen does not provide these services in the capacity of a practising barrister. Instead, you receive the benefit of his extensive legal knowledge and experience through a personal, approachable service, with clear explanations, fixed fees agreed in advance and no unnecessary legal jargon.
Whether you require a Will, Lasting Power of Attorney or Living Will, Stephen will take the time to understand your circumstances, explain the available options and prepare documents tailored to your needs and wishes. His aim is to make planning for the future feel straightforward and reassuring, while ensuring that you can make informed decisions with confidence.
A clear Will that reflects your life and your wishes
A Will gives you control over what should happen to your estate, who should deal with it and how the people you care about should be provided for. Without one, the intestacy rules decide who inherits. Those rules cannot take account of informal promises, personal relationships or the individual reasons behind your choices.
I help people throughout Salford put properly considered arrangements in place. This includes individuals and couples making their first Wills, parents choosing how children should be provided for, homeowners considering trust provisions and families whose circumstances do not fit a standard template.
Every Will is prepared personally. I take time to understand your family, property and priorities, explain the available options in plain English and agree the fee before any drafting begins. You will not be directed through an automated Will builder or left to choose legal clauses without guidance.
A Will deals with what happens after your death. If you also want to choose who could make financial, health or welfare decisions during your lifetime, or record particular medical treatments you would refuse, I can prepare Lasting Powers of Attorney and a Living Will as part of the same planning exercise.
Will-writing advice for different families and circumstances
Wise Owl Wills provides assistance to: –
- Individuals making a first Will or replacing an out-of-date Will
- Married couples, civil partners and unmarried couples who want clear provision for one another
- Parents who want to appoint guardians and plan how children will inherit
- Blended families balancing the needs of a partner, children and stepchildren
- Homeowners considering whether straightforward or trust-based provisions are appropriate
- People wishing to provide for a vulnerable beneficiary without handing over an unrestricted inheritance
- Young professionals and first-time buyers, including those who have just bought a flat or house with a partner
- People who want to appoint trusted attorneys to deal with financial, health or welfare decisions if needed.
Not sure which type of Will you need?
You do not need to decide before contacting me. I will explain the relevant options and their costs so that you can make an informed choice.
Professional Will writing across Salford
Salford contains many different communities and family arrangements, but the important question is personal: if something happened to you, would the law produce the result you actually want? A professionally drafted Will can address the people, property and responsibilities that matter in your own life.
Salford’s population grew by 15.4% between the 2011 and 2021 Censuses, the largest increase in the North West, and its median age of 34 is the second lowest in the region. Over the same decade Salford recorded England’s largest rise in the proportion of adults who have never married or formed a civil partnership, which now stands at just over half of residents aged 16 and over, and the third-largest rise in private renting in the country. Fewer than half of Salford households (47%) own their home, against 61% across England.
Taken together, those figures describe a city with a very large number of young couples living together without being married, often renting or recently on the property ladder. That is exactly the group the intestacy rules treat most harshly. An unmarried partner has no automatic right to inherit anything, however long the relationship has lasted, and a surviving parent cannot be sure who would raise their children unless a guardian has been named. A Will is the straightforward answer to both problems.
The picture is different in the west of the city. In Worsley, Boothstown and Monton, many households are settled homeowners whose priorities are protecting a valuable home, providing fairly for children from more than one relationship and keeping an older Will up to date. The right structure depends upon your circumstances, which is why the consultation comes before the drafting.
Will Writing in Salford City Centre and Salford Quays
No part of Greater Manchester has changed faster than the eastern side of Salford. On current ward boundaries, the population of the Quays ward rose from around 3,700 in 2011 to around 9,300 in 2021, and Ordsall and Blackfriars & Trinity each grew by roughly 40 to 50%. Most of that growth has come from new apartment buildings around MediaCityUK, Chapel Street and the edge of Manchester city centre.
Many of the people I speak to here are in their twenties and thirties, living with a partner, and either renting or recently moved into a flat they have bought together. If that describes you, the single most important point is this: if you are not married or in a civil partnership, your partner has no automatic right to inherit from you. A Will fixes that.
If you have bought a leasehold flat, a Will also makes it easier for your executors to deal with the property, the mortgage and the ongoing service charges without delay. And if much of your life is online, from savings apps and investment platforms to photographs and business accounts, a Will together with a short Letter of Wishes can make sure the right people know what exists and who should deal with it.
I offer free home visits throughout Salford City Centre and the Quays, as well as telephone and video appointments that fit around a working day, all at fixed fees agreed before any work begins.
Will Writing in Boothstown
Boothstown sits on the western edge of the city beside the Bridgewater Canal, and since the 2021 ward changes the Boothstown and Ellenbrook ward also takes in the village of Roe Green. It is a settled residential area: the ward’s population changed very little between the last two Censuses, rising from around 12,100 to 12,500.
That stability usually means long-term homeowners and established families, and the Will-writing questions I hear reflect it. Parents want to name guardians for their children and decide at what age children should inherit. Couples who have owned their home for many years want to know whether a straightforward Will is enough or whether a trust would give better protection, for example where one of them has children from an earlier relationship.
Reviewing older Wills matters here too. A Will written when the children were small, or before a divorce, a second marriage or the arrival of grandchildren, may no longer do what you want it to.
I provide free home visits throughout Boothstown, Ellenbrook and Roe Green, with telephone and video appointments available if you prefer, and fixed fees throughout.
Will Writing in Clifton
Clifton lies to the north of Swinton, between the town and the Irwell Valley, with Clifton Country Park on its doorstep. It forms part of the Pendlebury and Clifton ward, whose population grew by around 9% between 2011 and 2021, to roughly 13,900.
For long-standing homeowners in Clifton, the family home is often most of the estate, and the main concern is making sure it passes cleanly to the right people. For families where one or both partners have children from a previous relationship, the question is more delicate: how to protect a current partner without accidentally disinheriting your own children. A carefully drafted Will, sometimes with a trust, is how that balance is struck.
If you live with a partner in Clifton but are not married, a Will is essential for exactly the reasons set out elsewhere on this page. The law does not recognise cohabiting partners on intestacy, however long you have been together.
I offer free home visits across Clifton, together with telephone and video appointments and fixed fees agreed upfront.
Will Writing in Eccles
Eccles is one of Salford’s best-connected towns, sitting at the end of the Metrolink Eccles line with quick links into MediaCityUK and Manchester. The Eccles ward grew by around 11% between the last two Censuses, to roughly 14,500 residents.
That growth has brought a genuine mix of households: long-established families in older terraces and semis, and younger couples and first-time buyers drawn by the prices and the transport links. Many of those younger households are unmarried couples, some with children and a shared mortgage. For them, a Will and a guardian appointment are the two documents that matter most.
For older homeowners in Eccles, the priority is usually different: making sure a home owned for decades passes smoothly, and reviewing whether an older Will still reflects the family as it is now.
I provide free home visits throughout Eccles, as well as telephone and video appointments, all at transparent fixed fees.
Will Writing in Swinton
Swinton is home to Salford’s Civic Centre and has a strong, settled residential character. Its two wards, Swinton Park and Swinton and Wardley, were both broadly stable in population between 2011 and 2021, each with around 12,500 to 12,900 residents.
Settled communities tend to have close family networks, and that often shapes a Will. Some of the people I speak to in Swinton want to recognise a son or daughter who has taken on a caring role, or to make sure an older or dependent relative is looked after. Neither of those things happens automatically. They have to be written into a Will.
For younger households who have recently bought in Swinton, a Will protects a new home and a partner from the start, and allows parents to appoint guardians for their children.
I offer free home visits throughout Swinton, along with telephone and video appointments and fixed fees agreed before any drafting begins.
Will Writing in Irlam
Irlam and Cadishead form the western end of the city, bounded by the Manchester Ship Canal and open land towards Warrington. The two wards covering the area, Higher Irlam and Peel Green and Cadishead and Lower Irlam, had a combined population of around 26,000 in 2021, and both grew only modestly over the previous decade.
That points to a community where many families have lived for a long time, often with relatives close by. For long-term homeowners, a Will makes sure a home and savings go where you intend without delay or argument. Where a family member provides regular care or support, a Will is also the only way to recognise that contribution or to make sure a dependent relative is provided for.
If you run a trade or a small business from Irlam, your Will should also deal with what happens to your tools, vehicles and business interests, so that your family is not left trying to work it out.
I provide free home visits throughout Irlam and Cadishead, as well as telephone and video appointments, with fixed fees throughout.
Will Writing in Little Hulton
Little Hulton, on the north-western edge of Salford next to Bolton and Wigan, has grown faster than most of the city’s outer areas. The ward’s population rose by around 15% between 2011 and 2021, from roughly 12,600 to 14,500.
A growing population here means many younger families, including people renting and first-time buyers. A common assumption is that a Will only matters if you own a house. It does not work that way. If you have children, a Will is the only place you can appoint a guardian for them. If you have savings, a car or belongings with sentimental value, a Will decides who receives them.
For homeowners in Little Hulton, even where the property is modest, a Will makes sure it passes to the people you choose rather than following a fixed legal formula.
I offer free home visits throughout Little Hulton, together with telephone and video appointments at times that suit working households, all at fixed fees.
Will Writing in Monton
Monton is a small, village-like area on the Bridgewater Canal between Eccles and Worsley, known for its independent shops, bars and restaurants and its well-kept residential streets. It is one of the more sought-after addresses in the city.
The Wills I prepare for Monton households often need to deal with more than one type of asset: a family home that has risen in value, savings and investments, sometimes a business interest, and pension nominations that need to sit sensibly alongside the Will. Where the estate is larger, it is worth checking whether inheritance tax could apply and whether the Will can be structured to make full use of the allowances available.
Monton also has its share of professional couples who live together without being married. For them, a Will is not a formality. Without one, the surviving partner has no automatic claim to anything.
I provide free home visits throughout Monton, along with telephone and video appointments, at fixed fees that do not change because an estate is more substantial.
Will Writing in Walkden
Walkden, centred on the Ellesmere Shopping Centre and its railway station, is one of the larger towns in the west of the city and one of the faster-growing. Between 2011 and 2021 the Walkden North ward grew by around 16% and Walkden South by around 11%, reflecting new housing and families moving into the area.
The Will-writing needs in Walkden reflect that mix. Younger couples and first-time buyers want to protect a new home and appoint guardians for their children. Older and retired homeowners want to make sure a lifetime’s property and savings pass as intended, and to review a Will made years ago that may not account for a bereavement, a remarriage or new grandchildren.
If you are self-employed or run a small business in Walkden, your Will should also say clearly what happens to the business and its assets.
I offer free home visits throughout Walkden, as well as telephone and video appointments, all at transparent fixed fees.
Will Writing in Worsley
Worsley is one of the most desirable places to live in Greater Manchester, with its conservation village around the Bridgewater Canal and Worsley Delph, and the RHS Garden Bridgewater close by. The Worsley and Westwood Park ward is also one of Salford’s most settled, with its population barely changing between 2011 and 2021 at around 12,000.
Higher property values mean Worsley estates are more likely to reach the point where inheritance tax becomes a real consideration, particularly once savings, investments and business interests are added to the value of the home. A well-structured Will can make sure the available allowances are used properly and that assets are left in the most effective way.
Trusts also come up more often here. Some of the people I speak to in Worsley want to protect an inheritance for grandchildren or younger beneficiaries, provide for a family member with additional needs, or make sure children from a first marriage are not unintentionally excluded. For company directors and business owners, the Will should also address what happens to shares and business interests.
I provide a personal, discreet service throughout Worsley, with free home visits, telephone and video appointments and fixed fees agreed before any work begins, whatever the size of your estate.
Free home visits and remote Will appointments in Salford
The areas named above are examples rather than an exhaustive list. Free home visits for Wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney and Living Wills are available throughout Salford and the wider Greater Manchester area. Telephone and video appointments are available wherever you live.
A home appointment provides the same opportunity to discuss your circumstances and ask questions as a remote appointment. If you want more than one service, your Will, LPA and Living Will requirements can usually be discussed together.
Which type of Will might you need?
The following summary explains the available services. The final recommendation will depend upon your instructions and the protection you want to achieve.
| Service | When it may be suitable |
|---|---|
| Single Will | For one person whose wishes can be dealt with through straightforward provisions |
| Mirror Wills | For a couple making separate Wills in broadly corresponding terms. |
| Trust Will | Where additional control or protection may be required, including some blended-family arrangements, young or vulnerable beneficiaries, or carefully structured property planning. |
| Codicil | For a limited amendment to an existing Will where a complete replacement is not the better option. |
| Letters of Wishes | To give non-binding personal guidance to executors or trustees alongside the legal provisions of a Will. |
| Notice of Severance | To change jointly owned property from a joint tenancy to a tenancy in common when this forms part of appropriate estate planning. |
Lasting Powers of Attorney and Living Wills
Many clients first contact me because they need a Will and then ask whether they should make arrangements for decisions during their lifetime. I also prepare Lasting Powers of Attorney and Living Wills. These can be arranged alongside your Will or as separate services.
Lasting Powers of Attorney
A Lasting Power of Attorney allows you to appoint trusted people to make particular decisions or act for you. A Property and Financial Affairs LPA can cover matters such as bank accounts, bills, investments and property. A Health and Welfare LPA can cover care, medical treatment and where you live, but it can be used for a particular decision only when you lack capacity to make that decision yourself.
Lasting Power of Attorney fixed fees
Choose a Property and Financial Affairs LPA, a Health and Welfare LPA, or both, and give people you trust the authority to act if you can no longer make particular decisions yourself.
Office of the Public Guardian registration fee: £92 for each LPA, payable to the OPG when you register your LPA. A reduction or exemption may be available depending upon the donor’s income or benefits.
Living Wills
A Living Will, formally called an Advance Decision to Refuse Treatment, records specified medical treatments that you wish to refuse in defined future circumstances if you cannot make or communicate the decision at that time. It serves a different purpose from a Health and Welfare LPA, although the two documents are sometimes considered together.
Living Wills fixed fees
Choose the Will that provides the right protection for you and your family. Every Will is personally prepared for your circumstances, with clear guidance and a fixed fee agreed before drafting begins.
Frequently Asked Questions in Salford
Do you provide Will writing services in Salford?
Yes. I provide professional Will-writing services across the City of Salford, including free home visits to clients in Salford City Centre, Salford Quays, Boothstown, Clifton, Eccles, Irlam, Little Hulton, Monton, Swinton, Walkden and Worsley. Telephone and video appointments are also available for clients who prefer to arrange their Will remotely. I work with young couples, first-time buyers, families with children, established homeowners and business owners across the city. My service is built on clear advice, transparent fixed fees and professionally drafted documents tailored to your individual circumstances, whether you are making a Will for the first time, updating an existing one or looking for more specialist estate planning advice. To arrange a free consultation, call me on 0161 524 1033 or complete my contact form.
Can you visit me at home in Salford?
Yes. I offer free home visits to clients across Salford. Whether you live in Salford City Centre, Salford Quays, Boothstown, Clifton, Eccles, Irlam, Little Hulton, Monton, Swinton, Walkden or Worsley, I can come to you at a time that suits you. A home visit means you can discuss your wishes, ask questions and give your instructions in the comfort and privacy of your own home, with no need to travel to an office. This is particularly convenient for older residents, those with mobility considerations, carers and anyone with a busy family or working schedule. If a home visit isn’t convenient, telephone and video appointments are also available, so you can arrange a professionally drafted Will without leaving home. To book your free home visit, call me on 0161 524 1033 or complete my contact form.
Can I make my Will by telephone or video call?
Yes. Your instructions can be taken by telephone or video, and you’ll receive the same personal discussion and tailored drafting as you would during a home visit. I’ll also explain exactly how your completed Will needs to be signed and witnessed to be legally valid.
What is the difference between a Will, a Lasting Power of Attorney and a Living Will?
A Will records what should happen to your estate after your death. A Lasting Power of Attorney appoints people you trust to make decisions or act on your behalf during your lifetime, if you’re ever unable to do so yourself. A Living Will (formally an Advance Decision to Refuse Treatment) records specific medical treatments you would refuse in defined future circumstances. Many clients arrange a Will on its own; others choose to put an LPA or Living Will in place at the same time. Find out more about Lasting Powers of Attorney and Living Wills.
How much does a Will cost?
A Single Will costs £130 and Mirror Wills for a couple cost £200. A detailed Will including a trust costs £200, or £300 for detailed mirror Wills for a couple. I’ll explain which option suits your circumstances and confirm the total fee before you decide whether to go ahead. The price shown is the total fee, no VAT is added.
How quickly can my Will be completed?
I normally aim to provide your draft within seven days of receiving your complete instructions. The process starts with a consultation, either a free home visit anywhere in Salford, or by telephone or video, which most clients find takes less than an hour. I take your full instructions, explain your options in plain English and confirm the fixed fee. Once you’re satisfied your draft reflects your wishes, you sign it in the presence of two witnesses and it becomes legally valid. For clients requiring a trust-based Will, the drafting process may take a little longer to ensure every provision is precisely right, and I’ll tell you straightaway if that applies to you. There’s no pressure to rush at any stage: a Will that doesn’t accurately reflect your wishes provides no protection at all.
Do I need an LPA as well as a Will?
A Will and an LPA deal with different situations, so it’s worth thinking about both rather than treating them as alternatives. Your Will only takes effect after your death. A Lasting Power of Attorney allows people you choose to make decisions or act on your behalf while you’re still alive, if you’re ever unable to manage your own affairs. You can arrange either on its own, or both together at the same time as your Will.
If I live with my partner in Salford but we aren't married, will they inherit from me?
Not automatically. Under the intestacy rules of England and Wales, a partner you live with but have not married, or formed a civil partnership with, has no right to inherit from you at all. It makes no difference whether you have been together for two years or twenty, whether you have children together or whether you both pay the mortgage. “Common law marriage” is a myth: it has never existed in English law.
This affects more people in Salford than almost anywhere else. At the 2021 Census just over half of Salford residents aged 16 and over had never married or formed a civil partnership, and the city saw the largest increase in that figure of any local authority in England. Only 34% of Salford adults were married or in a civil partnership, against around 45% nationally.
In practice, what your partner receives without a Will depends on how your assets are held. A home owned as joint tenants passes to the survivor automatically, but a share held as tenants in common, a sole-name property, savings in your name and most personal possessions would go to your blood relatives instead. A surviving partner can bring a claim through the courts for reasonable financial provision, but that is slow, expensive and uncertain, and it is not something anyone should have to rely on.
A Will removes the problem entirely. Read more in my article on unmarried partner inheritance. To arrange a free consultation, call me on 0161 524 1033 or complete my contact form.
How do I make sure the right person looks after my children?
By naming a guardian in your Will. A Will is the only document in which a parent can formally appoint a guardian for a child under 18. If you die without one and there is no other parent with parental responsibility able to care for your children, the decision about who raises them falls to the family court, without any written guidance from you.
Naming a guardian lets you choose the person who shares your values and whom your children already know and trust. It is sensible for both parents to name the same guardian, and to name a back-up in case your first choice cannot act. Your Will can also say how any inheritance should be held and used for your children until they are old enough to manage it themselves.
Salford is a young city with a growing number of children. Between 2011 and 2021 the number of Salford residents aged under 15 rose by 18.6%, far faster than the 5% increase across England, and lone-parent households make up a larger share of homes here than the national average. For single parents in particular, a guardian appointment is one of the most important decisions you can put in writing.
Read more in my article on appointing guardians for your children. To arrange a free consultation, call me on 0161 524 1033 or complete my contact form.
I have a new partner and children from a previous relationship. How do I provide for everyone fairly?
With careful drafting, and usually not with a simple “everything to each other” Will. The difficulty for blended families is timing. If you leave everything outright to your partner, your children only inherit if your partner chooses to leave it to them. Your partner may later remarry, make a new Will or need the money for care, and your children can end up with nothing, even though that was never what either of you intended.
Stepchildren face a further problem: the intestacy rules do not recognise them at all. A stepchild you have raised as your own will inherit from you only if your Will names them.
For many couples in this position the answer is a life interest trust. Your partner can continue living in the home, or receive the income from your share of the estate, for the rest of their life. When they die, your share passes to the children you have chosen. It protects both the people who matter to you, rather than forcing you to choose between them.
Read more in my article on how to write a Will for a blended family. To arrange a free consultation, call me on 0161 524 1033 or complete my contact form.
Can my Will protect a family member who is vulnerable or disabled?
Yes, and it is one of the areas where a well-drafted Will makes the biggest practical difference. Leaving money outright to someone who is vulnerable can cause real harm. An inheritance can reduce or remove entitlement to means-tested support such as Universal Credit or local authority care funding, and a person who struggles to manage money, or who could be taken advantage of, may lose it quickly.
The usual solution is a discretionary trust written into your Will. Trustees you choose hold the inheritance and use it for your relative’s benefit as their needs change, paying for things that improve their quality of life, without the money being treated as theirs outright.
This is a live issue for many Salford families. At the 2021 Census, 3.3% of Salford residents were providing 50 or more hours of unpaid care a week, above the England average of 2.7%, and the proportion of residents whose day-to-day activities were limited a lot by disability was also higher than the national figure. If you care for a child, sibling or parent with additional needs, your Will is how you make sure that care continues in financial terms after you have gone.
Read more in my article on protecting vulnerable beneficiaries in a Will. To arrange a free consultation, call me on 0161 524 1033 or complete my contact form.
I own a flat or apartment in Salford. Do I need a Will?
Yes. Owning a flat raises the same basic question as owning a house, namely who inherits it, but there are a few points that make a Will particularly useful.
Most flats in Salford, including the many new apartment buildings around Salford Quays, MediaCityUK and Chapel Street, are leasehold. When an owner dies, service charges and ground rent continue to fall due and the mortgage still has to be dealt with. An executor named in a Will can act promptly to manage or sell the flat. Without a Will, someone has to apply to become the administrator first, which can add weeks or months while charges mount up.
How the flat is owned matters too. If you bought with a partner as joint tenants, your share passes automatically to them on your death regardless of any Will. If you own as tenants in common, perhaps because you each put in different deposits, your share passes under your Will, or under the intestacy rules if you have no Will. For an unmarried couple owning as tenants in common, that can mean the surviving partner ends up co-owning the flat with their late partner’s parents or siblings.
I’ll check how your property is held and explain whether a Notice of Severance or a trust in your Will would help. Read more about joint tenants and tenants in common. To arrange a free consultation, call me on 0161 524 1033 or complete my contact form.
What happens to my digital assets and online accounts when I die?
Much of what people own now exists only online: bank and savings apps, investment platforms, cryptocurrency, PayPal balances, photographs in the cloud, social media accounts, domain names and, for many people working in Salford’s digital and media sector, websites, content and online businesses. Some of these have real financial value. Others matter for sentimental reasons.
Your Will can say who should inherit digital assets that have value and give your executors the authority to deal with them. There are some practical limits worth knowing. Music, films and e-books bought through a platform are usually licensed to you rather than owned, so they may not pass on at all. Cryptocurrency can be lost for good if nobody can access it.
One point matters above all: never put passwords or PINs in your Will. Once probate is granted, a Will becomes a public document that anyone can obtain. The better approach is a Will that deals with ownership, backed by a separate, private record of what accounts exist and how your executors can find them. A Letter of Wishes is also a useful place to say what you want done with social media accounts and personal photographs.
To arrange a free consultation, call me on 0161 524 1033 or complete my contact form.
I have family or property outside the UK. Can my Salford Will deal with that?
Your Will should certainly take it into account, but a single English Will is not always the right tool for assets held abroad. Salford’s population has also become more international: at the 2021 Census just over one in five residents had been born outside England, up from around one in seven in 2011.
If you own property in another country, my usual advice is to have a separate Will prepared in that country, dealing only with the property there. Many countries apply their own inheritance rules to land and buildings within their borders, and some give fixed shares to children or other relatives whatever your Will says. A local Will, drafted by someone who knows that system, is normally the most reliable way to have it dealt with smoothly. Your English Will then needs to be drafted so that it does not accidentally revoke the overseas one.
If your family lives abroad, your English Will can leave gifts to relatives in other countries, and it is worth thinking about who is best placed to act as executor. Someone living in the UK is usually more practical.
Tax is a separate question. Since 6 April 2025, whether your worldwide assets fall within UK inheritance tax depends on how long you have been resident in the UK, rather than on domicile. Broadly, someone who has been UK resident for at least 10 of the previous 20 tax years is treated as a long-term resident, and their worldwide estate is within scope. If that could apply to you, it should be considered alongside your Will.
To arrange a free consultation, call me on 0161 524 1033 or complete my contact form.
We're getting married. What happens to the Wills we already have?
In England and Wales, getting married or forming a civil partnership automatically cancels any Will you made beforehand, unless that Will was written in expectation of that particular marriage. This catches out many couples who made Wills while they were living together and assume those Wills still stand. After the wedding, unless you make new Wills, the intestacy rules apply.
With so many Salford couples living together before marrying, this is worth planning for. If you are engaged, you can make a Will now that is expressly written in contemplation of your marriage, so it survives the wedding. If you are already married, a new Will is needed.
Separation and divorce work differently. Separating does not affect your Will at all, so a husband or wife you are separated from could still inherit everything under it. Once a divorce or dissolution is finalised, your former spouse is treated as if they had died for the purposes of your Will, which can leave gaps if they were your main beneficiary or executor. Either way, a change in your relationship is the moment to review your Will.
Read more in my article on when you should update your Will. To arrange a free consultation, call me on 0161 524 1033 or complete my contact form.
Should I have a basic Will or a Will with a trust?
It depends on who you want to protect and how. A basic Will leaves your estate directly to the people you choose. For many people, including a couple leaving everything to each other and then to their children, that is all that is needed.
A Will with a trust gives more control over what happens after your death. It is worth considering if you have children from a previous relationship and want to protect their inheritance, if a beneficiary is vulnerable, disabled or not yet ready to manage money, if you are concerned about the effect of future care costs on the family home, or if the value of your estate means inheritance tax needs careful planning. That last point applies to more households than it used to, particularly in areas such as Worsley, Boothstown and Monton where property values are higher.
You don’t need to decide before we speak. I’ll ask about your family and assets, explain whether a trust would genuinely help, and confirm the fixed fee either way: £130 for a Single Will or £200 for a detailed Will including a trust. See more about Trust Wills. To arrange a free consultation, call me on 0161 524 1033 or complete my contact form.
Can I put my funeral wishes in my Will?
You can, and many people do, but there are two things to understand. First, in England and Wales, funeral wishes set out in a Will are not legally binding. Your executors have the final say, although in practice most families follow clearly expressed wishes. Second, a Will is often not read until after the funeral has taken place, so instructions buried in it can easily be missed.
Timing matters particularly in some faith traditions. Salford has one of the largest Jewish communities in the country, 3.8% of residents at the 2021 Census against 0.5% across England, and a significant Muslim community. Both traditions usually expect burial to take place very quickly, often before anyone would think to look at a Will.
The practical answer is to record your wishes in your Will or a Letter of Wishes, and also to tell your executors and close family what you want, including any religious requirements, the funeral director you would like to use, and whether you have a pre-paid funeral plan.
To arrange a free consultation, call me on 0161 524 1033 or complete my contact form.
Do I need a solicitor to make a Will in Salford?
No. You don’t need a solicitor to make a Will in Salford. In England and Wales, Wills can be drafted by a professional Will-writer who isn’t a solicitor.
I founded Wise Owl Wills after being called to the Bar of England and Wales in 1999, bringing 27 years of experience in the legal profession. As an independent Will-writing business rather than a solicitors’ practice, I’m able to offer a modern, approachable and affordable service, with documents explained in plain English and appointments available at home, by telephone or by video.
What matters is not whether your Will-writer holds a solicitor’s qualification, but whether they have the knowledge, experience and attention to detail to produce a document that’s legally valid and genuinely tailored to your circumstances. The Will-writing industry in England and Wales isn’t currently regulated in the same way as solicitors, which makes choosing one with demonstrable legal expertise all the more important. To arrange a free consultation, call me on 0161 524 1033 or complete my contact form.
Arrange your free Will consultation
If you live in Salford and want a professionally drafted Will that reflects your family, property and wishes, contact me for a free initial consultation. If you also want to discuss a Lasting Power of Attorney or Living Will, these can be considered during the same home visit, telephone appointment or video call.
TrustpilotNo obligation. Tell me what you need and I will explain the suitable options and costs before you decide. All information you provide is treated confidentially, and I aim to respond within one working day.