Having a Will right now is more important than ever, and more and more people are asking us if it’s possible to make a Will online.
While we’d never recommend that people write their own Will, we would encourage people to take steps to protecting their future, with technology empowering us all.
Our Wills team are working remotely to help you know where you stand. Whether over the phone or over a video call, you can get in touch to start the process.
How we can help you make a Will from home
Just like if we were meeting in person, we will talk to you about your circumstances and wishes to ensure you make a Will that is right for you.
Once your Will has been drafted we will send it to you by post or by email with a full explanation of what each clause means. We will also go through the draft with you over the phone.
After that, we send the final version to you in the post (or by email) with signing instructions.
Signed, sealed, delivered
In order to make a Will valid, two witnesses must see you sign your Will in person and they must also both sign it in front of you.
Just as with Lasting Powers of Attorney, this is still the case, but normal rules have to be applied creatively! It’s not ideal to ask two neighbours or friends to watch you sign your Will at the present moment, but it is very important that you do otherwise your Will won’t be valid.
Some possible solutions might be:
- Having your witnesses watch you sign from a social distance (2 metres away) through a window or porch
- Passing the document to them for them to sign
- Passing the document back to you
We’ve even heard reports of people using car bonnets to sign documents and pass them to each other in order to keep a safe distance!
Everyone signing should consider using separate pens or, alternatively, gloves could be worn to protect everyone who is signing the documents.
As long as the two witnesses can see you signing the forms in person, there’s plenty of ways to be creative about how it is done. If you’ve got any queries about how the documents can be witnessed, or whether what you are thinking of doing will work, you can contact us.
Once you’ve sent us a photo or a scan of, at least, the front and final pages of your Will by email, we can check that it has been done correctly. If you’re having problems doing this, perhaps a family member or one of the witnesses could help you do this.
So… can I really make a Will right now?
Absolutely!
While some of the parts of the process look a little different, our team is putting in the same care and dedication to make the journey easy, comfortable and successful.
If you’ve got any questions you can call us now on 0151 282 1700.
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