Herne Bay and Whitstable, both inside the Canterbury district, are where a good part of east Kent and south London retires, and the will and probate work that follows comes into Canterbury's solicitors in steady volume: wills for second marriages where each spouse has children of their own, lasting powers of attorney made before a diagnosis becomes a crisis, trusts to protect a share of a bungalow for the children, and probate when a parent dies with a house, some savings and a pension nobody knew about.
The city itself adds the problems of old property. Listed houses in the centre and in villages like Fordwich and Wickhambreaux pass between generations with repair obligations attached, and a farm or orchard outside the ring road needs succession planning that keeps the business running while treating the children who left fairly; the recent narrowing of the inheritance tax reliefs for agricultural and business property has made that planning urgent for Kent's farming families. Unmarried partners, however long they have shared a home, inherit nothing under the intestacy rules unless a will says otherwise.
Lasting powers of attorney come in two kinds, one for finances and one for health and welfare, and both are cheaper and quicker than a later application to the Court of Protection. Will solicitors in Canterbury also deal with contested estates, where a disappointed child or a carer challenges a will or claims reasonable provision.
Single and mirror wills and powers of attorney are fixed-fee almost everywhere in Canterbury. For probate, ask whether the firm charges a fixed sum, an hourly rate or a percentage of the estate, and whether the fee changes if the estate is taxable.
The will and probate firms serving Canterbury are listed below, verified firms first. For background, see how much a will costs, the two kinds of lasting power of attorney, wills, trusts and probate explained and probate fees, or the general page on will solicitors.
