Trustpilot
Will Writing Services in Stockport
Professionally drafted Wills, personally prepared using 27 years of legal experience. Fixed fees are agreed upfront, with free home visits throughout Stockport 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 Stockport 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 15 days ago
We used Wise Owl Wills to prepare our…
We used Wise Owl Wills to prepare our mirror Wills and Health and Welfare Lasting Powers of Attorney. Stephen explained the options in plain English and helped us understand how the documents would reflect our wishes. We wanted to provide for each other in our Wills and appoint people we trust to make decisions about our care and medical treatment if we lose the capacity to decide for ourselves. Stephen took time to answer our questions, making the process feel straightforward and reassuring. We appreciated the personal attention and would recommend Wise Owl Wills to other couples looking for help with Wills and LPAs.
about 14 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 2 months 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.
Fixed Will-writing fees in Stockport
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 Stockport 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
- Grandparents who want to leave something to their grandchildren, or protect it until they are older
- 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 Stockport
Stockport 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.
Stockport is Greater Manchester’s home-owning borough. At the 2021 Census, 71% of Stockport households owned their home, the highest proportion of any of the ten Greater Manchester boroughs and well above the England figure of 61%. More households own outright (37%) than with a mortgage (34%). The population is also older than average: the median age is 42, against 40 for England, and the number of residents aged 65 and over rose by 16% in ten years, to almost 59,300.
Put those facts together and a clear picture emerges. A large share of Stockport’s wealth is held in family homes that have been paid off, by people at the stage of life when passing that home on well really matters. For many households the questions are not whether to make a Will, but whether an existing one still works, whether inheritance tax could apply now that allowances have been frozen for years, and how to provide fairly for children, stepchildren and grandchildren.
Stockport also has plenty of younger families, particularly around the town centre, Cheadle, Gatley and the Heatons, where guardianship and protecting a partner are the priorities. The right structure depends upon your circumstances, which is why the consultation comes before the drafting.
Will Writing in Stockport Town
Stockport town centre is changing faster than any other part of the borough. On the ward boundaries used at the 2021 Census, the Brinnington and Central ward grew by around 22% in ten years, from roughly 14,600 to 17,900 residents, as new apartments and homes have been built in and around the centre. Nowhere else in the borough grew by more than about 10%.
Many of the people moving in are younger professionals and first-time buyers drawn by the fast rail links into Manchester and prices that are lower than in the southern suburbs. If you have just bought with a partner you are not married to, a Will is the first document to put in place. Without one, your partner has no automatic right to inherit from you, and unless you own the home as joint tenants, your share of it would pass to your relatives instead.
The town centre is also home to long-established residents, local business owners and families with children, and each of those groups has its own reasons for a Will: directing a lifetime’s savings, protecting a business interest, or naming a guardian.
I offer free home visits throughout Stockport town centre and the surrounding neighbourhoods, together with telephone and video appointments, all at fixed fees agreed before any work begins.
Will Writing in Bramhall
Bramhall, with Bramall Hall at its centre, is one of the most sought-after addresses in Greater Manchester and one of the oldest communities in the borough. At the 2021 Census, around 27% of residents in the Bramhall South and Woodford ward were aged 65 or over, compared with 18% across England. The same ward has grown by around 8% since 2011, helped by new homes at Woodford.
An older, home-owning population with higher property values means inheritance tax is a real consideration for many Bramhall households, especially now that the allowances have been frozen until 2031. How the family home is left matters: the additional residence allowance is only available where the home passes to children or grandchildren, and it tapers away for estates above £2 million.
Many of the Wills I prepare for Bramhall clients also involve trusts: to protect an inheritance for grandchildren, to provide for a family member with additional needs, or to make sure children from a first marriage are not unintentionally excluded after a second marriage.
I provide a personal, discreet service throughout Bramhall and Woodford, with free home visits, telephone and video appointments and fixed fees that do not change because an estate is larger.
Will Writing in Cheadle
Cheadle combines an old village centre with some of the borough’s busiest roads and easy access to Manchester Airport and the M60. On the boundaries used at the 2021 Census, the Cheadle and Gatley ward grew by around 10% between 2011 and 2021, to roughly 16,100 residents, one of the faster rates in the borough.
That growth has brought younger households into an area that already had many long-established homeowners. For younger couples, the priorities are usually protecting a partner and naming guardians for children. For older residents, it is more often a question of reviewing a Will made years ago that may no longer reflect a bereavement, a remarriage or the arrival of grandchildren.
Cheadle also has its share of blended families, where a new partner and children from an earlier relationship all need to be provided for. That is exactly the situation in which a simple Will leaving everything to each other can go wrong.
I offer free home visits throughout Cheadle, along with telephone and video appointments and transparent fixed fees.
Will Writing in Cheadle Hulme
Cheadle Hulme is one of the borough’s most popular places for families, known for its schools, its larger Victorian and Edwardian houses and its rail links into Manchester. The Cheadle Hulme South ward grew by around 5% between the last two Censuses, to roughly 14,200 residents.
For parents here, the single most important reason to make a Will is often guardianship: making sure your children would be raised by someone you have chosen, and that any money left for them is held sensibly until they are old enough to manage it.
For households further along, the concerns shift. A larger family home, pensions and investments can take an estate close to or above the inheritance tax allowances, and it is worth making sure a Will uses those allowances properly rather than wasting them.
I provide free home visits throughout Cheadle Hulme, as well as telephone and video appointments, all at fixed fees.
Will Writing in Gatley
Gatley is a compact, well-established village between Cheadle and the Manchester boundary, a few minutes from Manchester Airport. It shares a ward with Cheadle, which grew by around 10% between 2011 and 2021.
Many Gatley households are long-term homeowners for whom the house is most of the estate, and the main priority is making sure it passes cleanly to the right people. Others are younger couples and families, some unmarried, sharing a mortgage and raising children together. For them, a Will and a guardian appointment are the documents that matter most.
If you work shifts or irregular hours, including at the airport, telephone and video appointments make it easier to fit your Will around your working week.
I offer free home visits throughout Gatley, along with telephone and video appointments and fixed fees agreed upfront.
Will Writing in Hazel Grove
Hazel Grove sits on the A6 between Stockport and the edge of the Peak District. It is a settled, largely residential area: the Hazel Grove ward’s population was almost unchanged between 2011 and 2021, at around 14,000.
Stable communities tend to have many long-term homeowners, and the Will-writing questions reflect that. Couples who have owned their home for decades want to know that it will pass to their children as intended, and whether their existing Wills still do what they want. For retired homeowners living alone, it is often a question of choosing the right executor and making sure the estate goes where they intend rather than following a fixed legal order.
Hazel Grove also has younger households, including first-time buyers and unmarried couples, for whom a Will protects a new home and a partner from the start.
I provide free home visits throughout Hazel Grove, as well as telephone and video appointments, all at transparent fixed fees.
Will Writing in the Four Heatons
Heaton Moor, Heaton Chapel, Heaton Mersey and Heaton Norris are a group of established suburbs on the Manchester side of Stockport, with rail stations at Heaton Chapel and good links into the city. The Heatons North ward grew by around 5% between 2011 and 2021, and its age profile is close to the national average, with around 18% of residents aged 65 or over.
That balance shows in the Will-writing needs. Many households are young families in larger period homes, where naming guardians and providing for children are the priorities. If you live with a partner but are not married, a Will is essential: however long you have been together and however much you have invested in a home, the law gives an unmarried partner no automatic right to inherit.
Property values across the Heatons have risen steadily, so it is also worth checking whether the combined value of your home, pensions and savings brings inheritance tax into view.
I offer free home visits throughout the Four Heatons, along with telephone and video appointments and fixed fees agreed before any work begins.
Will Writing in Marple
Marple sits on the edge of the Peak District, with Etherow Country Park, the Peak Forest and Macclesfield Canals, and two railway stations. It is also one of the oldest communities in the borough: at the 2021 Census, around 28% of residents in the Marple North ward were aged 65 or over, against 18% across England, and the ward’s population barely changed in ten years.
For many Marple households, the family home has been owned for decades and is now worth considerably more than when it was bought. That raises practical questions. Does an older Will still reflect the family as it is today? Will the estate make full use of the inheritance tax allowances, including the additional allowance for a home passing to children or grandchildren? Should an inheritance for grandchildren be held in trust until they are older?
Some Marple properties also come with land, outbuildings or a separate annexe, and a Will should make clear exactly what is included and who receives it.
I provide free home visits throughout Marple and Marple Bridge, as well as telephone and video appointments, with fixed fees throughout.
Will Writing in Romiley
Romiley is a village on the Peak Forest Canal, between Bredbury and Marple, with its own railway station and a settled, family-oriented character. The Bredbury Green and Romiley ward’s population was broadly stable between 2011 and 2021, at around 14,400.
Many Romiley homeowners have lived in the area for a long time and want their property and savings to pass to their children without delay or argument. Grandparents often want to leave something to grandchildren as well, and a Will can say at what age that money should be paid out rather than handing it over automatically at 18.
For parents of younger children, a guardian appointment remains a key priority. For couples who live together without being married, a Will is the only way to make sure a surviving partner is protected.
I offer free home visits throughout Romiley and Bredbury, together with telephone and video appointments and transparent fixed fees.
Free home visits and remote Will appointments in Stockport
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 the Stockport borough 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 Stockport
Do you provide Will writing services in Stockport?
Yes. I provide professional Will-writing services across the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, including free home visits to clients in Stockport town centre, Bramhall, Cheadle, Cheadle Hulme, Gatley, Hazel Grove, the Four Heatons, Marple and Romiley. Telephone and video appointments are also available for clients who prefer to arrange their Will remotely. I work with established and retired homeowners, families with children, couples in second relationships and grandparents planning for the next generation. 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 Stockport?
Yes. I offer free home visits to clients across the Stockport borough. Whether you live in Stockport town centre, Bramhall, Cheadle, Cheadle Hulme, Gatley, Hazel Grove, the Four Heatons, Marple or Romiley, 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 the Stockport borough, 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.
My partner and I live together in Stockport but aren't married. What happens if one of us dies?
Without a Will, very little goes to the surviving partner. The intestacy rules of England and Wales only recognise husbands, wives and civil partners. A partner you live with, however long you have been together, is not on the list at all. Your estate would pass instead to your children, or if you have none, to your parents, brothers and sisters or more distant relatives.
Some things may still reach your partner: a home or bank account held as joint tenants passes to the survivor automatically, and pension schemes usually follow the nomination form you completed. Everything else in your sole name, including your share of a home held as tenants in common, does not.
This is not only an issue for young couples. In Stockport the proportion of adults who have never married rose from 32% to 36% between 2011 and 2021, and many people who have been widowed or divorced go on to live with a new partner later in life without remarrying. That second group is often the most exposed, because their own children and their new partner may both expect to inherit. A Will can protect a partner and still make sure the family home eventually reaches your children.
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.
Who would look after my children if something happened to me?
If you have not named anyone, that decision could end up with the family court. Where a parent dies and there is no other parent with parental responsibility able to take over, somebody has to be given legal responsibility for the children. A Will is where you choose that person yourself.
When you choose a guardian, think about who shares your values, who your children already know well, and whether that person would be able to take on the role practically. It is sensible to name a back-up in case your first choice cannot act, and for both parents to name the same people. Your Will should also say how any money left to your children is to be looked after and when they can receive it.
At the 2021 Census just over one in five Stockport households included a couple with dependent children, a higher share than the England average, and the number of children under 15 in the borough rose by more than 5% in ten years. For all of those families, a guardian appointment is one of the most important parts of the Will.
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've remarried and we both have children from earlier relationships. How do we make sure all of them are provided for?
By avoiding the most common trap. Many couples in second marriages make mirror Wills leaving everything to each other and then to all the children equally. It feels fair, but it only works if the surviving partner never changes their Will. Once the first of you has died, the survivor owns everything outright and can leave it to anyone, including only their own children. Lawyers call the result sideways disinheritance, and it happens more often than people expect.
The usual answer is a life interest trust. When the first partner dies, their share of the home, and sometimes other assets, goes into a trust. The surviving partner can live in the home, or receive the income, for the rest of their life, but cannot give that share away. When the survivor dies, it passes to the children the first partner chose.
Stepchildren need specific mention too. The intestacy rules do not treat them as children at all, so a stepchild you want to benefit must be named in your Will.
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.
We have an adult son with a disability. How can our Wills protect him after we've gone?
Most parents in this position want the same two things: for their child to benefit from what they leave, and for that inheritance not to cost him the support he relies on. Leaving money to him outright can undermine both. Capital above certain limits can reduce or remove means-tested support such as Universal Credit or help with care costs from the local authority, and someone who is vulnerable may find a large sum difficult to manage or protect.
A discretionary trust in your Wills solves this. The inheritance is held by trustees you choose, usually family members you trust, who can use it for your son’s benefit as his needs change: paying for holidays, equipment, a better standard of accommodation or anything else that improves his life, without the money being treated as his own.
This question becomes more pressing as parents get older. Stockport’s population aged 65 and over grew by 16% between 2011 and 2021, and 2.7% of residents were providing 50 or more hours of unpaid care a week at the last Census. Many of those carers are parents who have looked after an adult child for decades and need to know what will happen when they no longer can.
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.
Could inheritance tax apply when I leave my Stockport home to my children?
It depends on the total value of everything you own, not just the house. Every person has a nil-rate band of £325,000. On top of that, a residence nil-rate band of up to £175,000 is available where your home, or your share of it, passes to your children, stepchildren, grandchildren or other direct descendants. A married couple or civil partners can transfer unused allowances to each other, so between them they can pass on up to £1 million free of inheritance tax. Anything above the available allowances is taxed at 40%.
Those figures have not risen since 2009 and 2020 respectively, and they are now frozen until April 2031. Meanwhile, Stockport has the highest rate of home ownership in Greater Manchester and some of its most valuable housing, in areas such as Bramhall, Cheadle Hulme, Marple and the Heatons. Two further points catch people out. The residence allowance starts to reduce once an estate is worth more than £2 million. And from 6 April 2027, most unused pension funds are due to be counted as part of your estate for inheritance tax, which will push some estates over the threshold for the first time.
Your Will affects how much of these allowances you can use. The residence allowance is only available if the home goes to direct descendants, so leaving it to a nephew or niece, or into some types of trust, can lose it. If you have already downsized or sold your home, some of the allowance may still be preserved. I will look at the whole picture and draft your Will so that it does not waste allowances you are entitled to.
Read more in my guide to inheritance tax. To arrange a free consultation, call me on 0161 524 1033 or complete my contact form.
Everything we own is in joint names. Do we still need Wills?
Yes. Joint ownership deals with the first death, but it does nothing for the second. If your home is held as joint tenants and your savings are in joint accounts, they will pass to the survivor automatically. The survivor then owns everything alone, and unless they have a Will, it will pass under the intestacy rules when they die. That may well send it to the right people, but it may not.
Wills also cover situations that joint ownership cannot. They appoint the executors who will deal with the estate. They name guardians for children. They set out what happens if you both die at the same time, when the law would otherwise presume the older of you died first, which can send everything down one side of the family. They let you leave specific gifts, include grandchildren or charities, and make sure the residence allowance for inheritance tax can be claimed.
Joint ownership is also not right for everyone. In a second marriage, for example, owning as joint tenants means your share of the home goes automatically to your spouse and could end up with their children rather than yours. A Notice of Severance can change that.
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.
My Will was made many years ago. Does it still do what I want?
It may not, even if nothing obvious has changed. Wills are written for the family, the assets and the law as they were at the time, and all three move on.
The family changes: an executor may have died or be too old to act, a beneficiary may have died before you, a guardian named when the children were small may no longer be needed, and grandchildren may have arrived who are not mentioned. The assets change: the house may now be worth several times what it was, and pensions and investments may have grown. The law changes too. Many Wills made before October 2007 include what is known as a nil-rate band discretionary trust, which was a sensible way of saving inheritance tax at the time. Since then, unused allowances have become transferable between spouses and the residence allowance has been introduced, and for some couples an old trust of that kind now adds cost and complication without saving any tax.
Marriage automatically cancels an existing Will unless it was made with that marriage in mind, and divorce removes a former spouse from your Will. If either has happened since you last made a Will, it needs attention now. For smaller changes a Codicil may be enough; for anything more substantial a new Will is usually clearer.
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.
Can I leave money to my grandchildren in my Will?
Yes, and many grandparents want to. There are a few decisions to make.
The first is when they should receive it. Anything left to a grandchild under 18 has to be held for them until they reach 18, and at that point it becomes theirs outright. If you would prefer them to wait until 21 or 25, or to have the money used for education or a first home before then, your Will needs to say so and set up a trust. Different ages can have different tax consequences, which I will explain before you decide.
The second is who counts. If you leave a gift to “my grandchildren”, your Will should make clear whether that includes grandchildren born after you sign it, and whether step-grandchildren are included.
The third is how the gift fits with the rest of your plans. Leaving your home, or part of it, to grandchildren still qualifies for the inheritance tax residence allowance, because grandchildren are direct descendants. You may also want a gift to grandchildren to take the place of a share for a child who has died.
See more about Trust Wills. To arrange a free consultation, call me on 0161 524 1033 or complete my contact form.
I live on my own and have no children. Who inherits if I don't make a Will?
Your estate would follow a fixed legal order. It goes first to your parents if they are alive, then to your brothers and sisters or their children, then to half-brothers and half-sisters, then to grandparents, then to aunts and uncles or their children. If there are no relatives in any of those categories, everything passes to the Crown. Friends, a partner you were not married to, godchildren and charities receive nothing, however close you were to them.
Without a Will there is also no named executor. A relative has to apply to become administrator, and if your nearest relatives are distant, elderly or hard to trace, that can take a long time.
This is a situation Stockport knows well. At the 2021 Census, 14% of Stockport households were people aged 66 or over living alone, above the England average of 13%, and 7% of adults were widowed. A Will lets you decide who inherits, choose an executor you trust, whether that is a friend, a younger relative or a professional, and leave gifts to the people and causes that have mattered to you.
To arrange a free consultation, call me on 0161 524 1033 or complete my contact form.
Can I leave a gift to charity in my Will?
Yes. You can leave a fixed sum, a particular item or a share of your estate to any charity you choose, and gifts to UK registered charities are free of inheritance tax.
There is a further benefit if your estate is large enough to pay inheritance tax. If you leave at least 10% of your net estate to charity, the rate of tax on the rest of your estate falls from 40% to 36%. In some cases this means your family receives almost as much as it would have done without the gift, while the charity receives a substantial sum.
A charitable gift needs to be drafted carefully. Your Will should name the charity accurately, ideally with its registered number, and say what should happen if the charity has merged, changed its name or closed by the time of your death. Otherwise the gift can fail. If you want the gift used for a particular purpose, such as a local hospice or a specific branch, that should also be spelt out.
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 Stockport?
No. You don’t need a solicitor to make a Will in Stockport. 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 Stockport 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.