If either of you has children from a previous relationship, your planning needs to be more specific. The “obvious” outcome people assume will happen is often not what happens in practice, especially where there is a family home, a mortgage and a need to balance fairness with security.

This bundle is designed to protect your partner, protect your children and reduce the risk of delay, dispute and expensive legal wrangles later.

Why it can still get complicated

Blended families create competing priorities that all feel reasonable:

• you may want your partner to be secure in the home, while also making sure your children inherit
• you may or may not want assets to pass outside the bloodline after you have died
• your partner may intend to “do the right thing later” but life changes: remarriage, new children, falling out, financial pressure
• adult children can feel anxious or suspicious if they think their inheritance is at risk which can trigger conflict early

‍What you typically need in place

• Wills for both of you‍
  
  • Sets out who inherits, who deals with the estate and what happens to your assets when you have both died.
• Lasting Power of Attorney for Property and Financial Affairs for both of you‍
  
  • Allows your chosen attorneys to manage finances and property if you cannot.
• Lasting Power of Attorney for Health and Welfare for both of you‍
  
  • Allows your chosen attorneys to make health and care decisions if you cannot.
• Guardianship provisions in your Wills‍
  
  • If your children are under 18, this allows you to state who you would want to look after them if both parents died.‍
• Property ownership review and alignment
  We check how the home is owned and make sure the legal structure supports the plan.
• Letters of wishes
  Helps explain your intentions to executors and trustees and can reduce misunderstandings.

Optional but useful

• A simple information pack for your executors and family‍
  
  • A short list of what you own, where the key documents are and who to contact.
• Declaration of trust
  
  • When partners are cohabiting, it is common to have unequal shares in property. A declaration of trust takes away any uncertainty in the event of a break up
    

Downsides of not having this in place

• Without tailored Wills:
  
  • your partner and your children can end up in direct conflict over the home and the estate
  • your assets may pass in a way you did not intend, including potentially outside your family line
  • sorting it out can involve expensive solicitor led disputes that reduce what is left in the estate
  Without Lasting Powers of Attorney:
  • your partner may be unable to deal with finances or property if you lose capacity
  • family disagreements can become worse because there is no clear authority to act
  Without aligned property ownership:
  • even a well written will can be undermined by the way the property is owned
  • it can cause delays, legal costs and disputes exactly at the point for family least needs it

Payment options

If Sail Legal is handling your conveyancing we can add the cost to your conveyancing bill. We can also offer Klarna so you can spread the cost.

We offer two packages and you can choose what suits your budget and preferred level of risk. Do click for more details: