The Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) published its Inheritance Tax Review in November 2018. The review demonstrates that changes desperately need to be made to the administration process. The purpose of the report: Dealing with estate administration often places a huge burden on executors. The OTS recognises that the responsibility of dealing with the estate… Read more »
Article Category: Personal & Family Law – Insight & Opinion
Property held in Trust: who’s responsible for the up keep
Property held in Trust is a great way to safeguard the property and avoid the lengthy and potentially costly probate process on death. For the trustees who hold the property it is important to consider any potential risk factors, your obligations and the health and wellbeing of the beneficiary residing in the property. There is… Read more »
Arguing over a Will: The 5 most common reasons
When a loved one passes away it is a very difficult time but this feeling can be made worse if the provisions of the Will are unexpected or there is conflict between the families over the distribution of the estate. There has been a surge over the last few years in claims arising out of… Read more »
Grant of probate application fees set to rise
Reforms to increase the cost of a grant of probate application are set to be implemented by the government. First discussed in 2017, the fee increase is now set to take effect in April 2019. What are the fees for a grant of probate application? The current application fees are fixed at £215.00 for… Read more »
GDPR for Trustees and Executors: How have they been affected?
We’re five months on from the implementation of GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and many people have been asking what effect the new data protection rules have had for those acting as Executors and Trustees, and is there anything they should be doing going forward? The effects of GDPR for Trustees and Executors: As part… Read more »
Partnership Disputes: How to avoid them
A recent case (Wild v Wild) has highlighted again the need for farmers to be clear about how the farming assets are held. Whilst putting a partnership agreement in place is the last thing farmers want to think about when they’re busy getting on with the day job, it can have a big impact in… Read more »
Choosing a care home: who has the right to make the final decision?
An interesting place to start this topic would be with a question: when choosing a care home who has the right to make the final decision and say this is where you will live? Well, you do! Except if you are too unwell to make your own decisions any more. If this is the case,… Read more »
Why Should I Appoint A Guardian For My Children?
Appointing a guardian in your Will enables someone you trust to take care of your children if the worst should happen to you. It also gives important rights to that person so that they can make key decisions regarding the future of your children. If both parents have parental responsibility, the guardianship will not take… Read more »
Bank Of Mum And Dad: What Parents Need To Consider Before Loaning Money
The bank of mum and dad is an increasingly popular way to help first time buyers get onto the property ladder. It’s great that parents can provide life changing amounts of money to help their children, but often this method hits the headlines and not for positive reasons. One case which stands out is a high… Read more »
Dangers Of Distributing An Estate Before The Inheritance Tax Has Been Paid
Inheritance Tax may be payable following a death and the personal representatives (also known as the executors if there is a Will) who are dealing with the estate need to ensure that the tax is fully paid to the Inland Revenue before the estate is distributed to the beneficiaries. It is not uncommon for an executor… Read more »
