Making a Will under COVID-19 conditions

03 Apr Making a Will under COVID-19 conditions

Last updated: 11th September 2020

While many businesses had to go into ‘hibernation mode’ during the lock-down period (and some have still not come back to full strength), Will Writers have never been busier.  There are still a lot of very vulnerable and worried people out there who are looking to put in place Wills and estate planning provisions to protect their loved ones, should the worst happen to them – and Heir Tight Wills are here to help.

Obviously we are having to do things rather differently than normal at the moment – as it is still not ‘safe’ to visit the majority of our clients in their own homes (principally so we don’t put them at risk).  This just means we had to ‘think outside the box’ from the start of the pandemic, to provide our services more flexibly – to ensure our clients can access the services they need, in the way that best suits them, to ensure they get their documents completed as quickly – and safely – as possible.

At Heir Tight Wills, the flexibility of our ‘Covid-19’ approach includes taking instructions via telephone or conference calls, and video conferencing.  We have been sending our Terms of Business for signing electronically via ‘DocuSign’ or we can post them if preferred – depending on our clients’ wishes.  We then send the finalised Documents for signing via the post, with full instructions to ensure they are validly – & safely – signed & witnessed.   As a result, it doesn’t matter where our clients are based, we can still assist them.

We have put together a Factsheet for people worried about how they can get their Will signed by the legally required ‘two independent witnesses’ under the current restrictive conditions – where we still have to practice ‘socially distancing’ and many vulnerable people re still having to self-isolate.  The factsheet is available from the ‘Downloads’ section of our website, under ‘Free booklets & Factsheets’, or via the link here.

If you, or anyone you know, needs any assistance with drafting a Will or updating their existing one, or wants to put in place Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPAs) – or draft alternatives to LPAs to cover the short-term (as it is currently taking up to 6 months to register LPAs!), then please do not hesitate to contact us.  In the meantime, continue to keep safe & stay well!