Updating my will

[hull945]

I made a will a good 5-10 years ago. I just found it in a drawer and realised i havent updated my new address, i moved since doing the will. I think the solicitor told me i need to let them know if i change address so I am going to email them.
I also think my will needs a small update. i owned two properties back then when i made the will. i only own one now. do i need to get a whole new will done or can the original solicitor just update it for me without me going to the office as its several hundred miles away from where i am now. can this sort of thing be done by email does anyone know?

[hull945]

I would be grateful if someone could reply here please.
thank you

[des8]

If you get your will sent to you, you can add a codicil without the long round trip.
The solicitor could prepare it for you and send it to you for execution.
However, on the other hand you could write a new will, which will automatically make your existing will obsolete, for possibly much the same price.

[Manxman]

You can do a new will with a local solicitor. A new will automatically revokes all previous wills. It would be a good idea to tell your previous solicitor to destroy the old will as you have executed a new one. (Wait until you have done a new one before doing this!)

If you've disposed of a property since the previous will, it's probably easier to do a new will rather than change it by codicil.

Make sure your executor(s) know there is a new will.

[hull945]

Thanks very much both of you. Glad I asked! There was me thinking I could just email them, they whip out the line which mentions the property I sold and send me a new copy hopefully for next to nothing. hahaha, silly me!

I have never heard of "codocil". i thought it was a typo at first!

I really want to keep costs down and would rather not have to go and see a new solicitor, the old one was lovely. Am I right in thinking they can do it all without seeing me, i.e. by post, if i go down the codicil route then?

thank you both

[Manxman]

You'll still need to sign it and get it witnessed by two people. Do you really want to do it by mail? What if it gets lost? Far easier to get a local solicitor to draw up a new will. That's what I'd do. It might be cheaper to do a codicil rather than a new will, but I would not have thought there'd be much difference. Get quotes to compare. (Ask your old solicitor and a local one, or two, or three...)

Depending on what your current will says, it may well not be as straightforward as deleting references to the second property. Were you previously leaving it to an individual? Has it's disposal increased your cash assets? Does it affect any specific bequests? Does it affect any residual bequests? A codicil may or may not be appropriate depending on your answers to questions like these.

Whatever you do, don't try to amend it yourself and don't use a will writing company. Use a solicitor, whether your old one or a new one.

[hull945]

Thanks, yes I would be happy (happier even) to do it by post.
I will have a think, I don't suppose there's any mad hurry. The house was bequeathed to someone (I had two houses both left to the same person), so I guess if I died before i amended the will, nothing would actually change as that property is no longer mine and the recipient would get the current property instead of both. I suppose I just want it tidied up really as the property has been sold for a long while now. On that note, just out of curiosity, I assume there must be many people who die leaving a will which is a bit out of date, such as having sold a property or whatever. I am guessing the executor just sorts it out, any belongings which are not owned any more simply can't be passed on so it can't be too hard. I will get it sorted though just so i know it's all up to date. thanks for the advice