Making a Will is essential to ensure your assets and belongings are shared according to your wishes after you die. Specific rules must be followed when writing your Will in Scotland to make sure your document is legally valid. Some of these rules can differ from those in England and Wales or Northern Ireland.
Why Make an online Will?
Making a Will and choosing how to share your estate (your money, house, personal belongings such as a car or jewellery) and assets is an important step when planning for the future of your family and loved ones. By recording your exact wishes for sharing your estate and assets, you can have the peace of mind that your loved ones will be taken care of after you die. If you do not make a Will, there will be no instructions to follow, and your estate will be shared according to the rules of intestacy, which may not follow your wishes.
Approximately two-thirds of adults living in Scotland have not made a Will. These Scots are at risk of leaving their loved ones with the stress and uncertainty of dealing with and receiving their share of the estate after they die.
How to Make a Will in Scotland
In Scotland, there are several ways to make a will. You can:
- Write your own Will: It is perfectly legal to write your own Will. However, it is important to make sure that it meets all of the legal requirements in Scotland. WeWill provides an online service to write your own legally valid Scottish Will.
- Use a solicitor: A solicitor can help you draft a will that meets your specific needs and ensures that your wishes are legally binding.
Considerations for Making a Will in Scotland
When making a Scottish Will with WeWill, your legal document covers these important considerations:
- Legal requirements: In order for a Will to be legally binding in Scotland, it must meet certain requirements, such as being in writing and signed by the testator (the person making the Will) and witnesses.
- Inheritance laws: In Scotland, specific laws govern the distribution of assets if someone dies without a Will. These laws may not reflect your wishes, so it's important to make a Will to ensure that your assets are distributed according to your wishes.
- Specific legacies: If you have specific items or assets that you want to leave to specific individuals, it's important to include these in your Will.
- Executor: You Will need to appoint an executor to manage your estate after you pass away. This should be someone you trust and who is capable of fulfilling the role's responsibilities.
Write your own Will
Making a Will in Scotland is important in planning for the future and ensuring that your assets are distributed according to your wishes. Using WeWill to write your own online Will, you can have the peace of mind that it meets all of the legal requirements in Scotland and reflects your wishes for the distribution of your assets.
