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Will Advice Please

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jaynethepain | 14:24 Mon 15th Sep 2014 | Law
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Uncle B has died leaving a large detached house. We have had sight of the will which is a handwritten WH Smith type document in Uncle S's handwriting. Uncle S is Uncle B's brother. It has been witnessed. However Uncle S is the beneficiary of the house & his two children each receive a cash amount each. Anything left is shared between 2 other sisters of Uncle B and my husband as his father has died. Is this legal? Sounds a bit dodgy, what's the opinion?
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I assume you are suspicious because S wrote the will & he & this children come off best from it. I can understand why you think it might be dodgy but there could be all sorts of reasons why B did this. You need to consider the earlier posts but also bear in mind that challenging the will (which is the only way you could do anything) would be a lengthy process & very...
16:45 Mon 15th Sep 2014
I'm not 100% sure what you mean by dodgy? Uncle B was at liberty to leave his house and or money to whoever he wished.

Or do you mean that you don't think the will is a lawful document?
While you are waiting for one of the Legal people to come along, what date was the Will signed and at that time did Uncle B have full mental capacity. If he did, he is fully entitled to leave his Estate to whoever his wishes. If not you will then need some legal advice
It doesn't matter whose handwriting is on the will. What does matter is that neither of the witnesses is a beneficiary and that they were both present at the time Uncle B signed the will.
Dodgy? In what way? As long as the will has been legally drawn up and witnessed it is legal.
Further to the answers above I am of the understanding (from elsewhere on this site I think) that if someone can reasonably expect to be a beneficiary, for example they were being supported by the deceased before their death and expected to be provided for, the there may be a case to be made. But I suspect such circumstances are probably rare.

Aside from that I see nothing you have written to suggest foul play.
I used to draft wills for a living. Assuming that there's no 'technical' error (such as a witness being a beneficiary under the will, which would invalidate his/her inheritance but not invalidate the will as a whole), I can see nothing wrong there. Why do you think that there might be?
I assume you are suspicious because S wrote the will & he & this children come off best from it. I can understand why you think it might be dodgy but there could be all sorts of reasons why B did this. You need to consider the earlier posts but also bear in mind that challenging the will (which is the only way you could do anything) would be a lengthy process & very costly. You would also have to pay the other side's costs if you lost.
The only dodgy bit is your hubby isnt receiving as much as you/he thought or hoped he would

Is it dodgy that someone who writes the will, benefits largely from it
Not in my view
Question Author
Not at all peter and I am offended by your comments. My husbands two elderly aunts are unhappy about the situation. The uncle who died was somewhat of a recluse and they feel that he may have been coerced into leaving the house to their brother only. Aunt C has indicated that the will isn't dated and not signed by their deceased brother. Surely that makes the will void .....or not? We don't know and without taking it to a solicitor was just looking for any constructive advice rather than suggesting that my husband is being avaricious.
Seek expert legal advice immediately from a specialist. It is a complicated area.

There may well be a good reason why Uncle S drew up the will for Uncle B. However, this is one of the circumstances which would "excite the suspicion of the Court" (ie where a beneficiary has played a significant part in the drawing up of the Will).
Well if it isn't dated or signed that must make a huge difference.
You say that you have had sight of the will. Is it signed and dated or not?
^^...or are yousuggesting that the signature on the will is not that of Uncle B. If so, then both the signatory and the witnesses are in deep trouble.
Apparently not...


//Aunt C has indicated that the will isn't dated and not signed by their deceased brother. //
Tangled web - seek legal advice now as Barmaid suggests.
The new info about the lack of a signature and date makes a huge difference and means that most of the early responses can be ignored as, like me, I think most posters assumed the issue was simply that the person whose handwriting was on the will was the main beneficiary
But does Aunt C mean that the will is not signed at all or that the signature is a forgery? The OP claims to have seen the will. Perhaps a second sighting might prove more instructive.
Question Author
Thanks everyone, all info very useful. Aunt is elderly and has indicated that it isn't dated. Hubby is requesting a copy of the will to get a clearer picture. I'm not sure that the deceased uncle would have been on sound mind but I didn't know him so cannot really comment. Will take a look at the will & then see what's the best thing to do. Lots of things to think about here and thanks again everyone.
Question Author
Also and I'm sorry I forgot this piece of information, it appears there may only be one witness. I would have thought there should be two, is that correct? And presumably the executor, who is also the main beneficiary, cannot be a witness and inherit?
You are right that there should be two witnesses. Also, although an executor can inherit he cannot be a witness as beneficiaries must not witness the will, otherwise their 'share' is cancelled and goes back into the pot.

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