Why wills fail

Wills can fail for many different reasons – here are some of the main ones.

The will is not signed. A will that has not been signed or witnessed is not valid. Also, a will which has been incorrectly signed or witnessed will also be invalid. Although many of these mistakes are made by people drawing up their own will, even professionals may allow a will to go unsigned. This why Accentor Wills always tries to be at the signing.

The beneficiary has died. Creating a simple will with only one beneficiary will mean the will has to fail because nobody else is in line for the inheritance. Accentor Wills always try to create a will that caters for things like this happening meaning that if your main beneficiary dies, you do not need to draw up a new will.

A lost will. A surprising number of wills disappear or are lost, or damaged. When this happens the will fails and the estate falls into intestacy. This will mean your estate may not go to the people you intend.

A beneficiary has witnessed the will. This is not uncommon, and if you ask a close relative to witness the will who will also benefit, the witness will not be allowed to benefit from the will.

Failed gifts. Gifts can fail for all sorts of reasons. It could be because there are not enough funds, an item is no longer owned (some people put their current address but do not update the will when they move), or because the gift was unable to be made in the first place (e.g. jointly owned property). Accentor wills ensure your gifts will happen!