Who inherits a Southsea terrace when its owner dies without a will? Under the intestacy rules a spouse takes most or all of it, children share the rest, and an unmarried partner or a stepchild gets nothing, however long the relationship. In a city of small houses, second relationships and long naval absences, that produces hard results every week, which is why will solicitors in Portsmouth spend so much time persuading people in their forties and fifties to make one.
A Portsmouth will covers the usual ground, but with local wrinkles. Naval and civil service pensions carry death-in-service benefits and nominations that must line up with the will. A flat at Gunwharf Quays or on the seafront is leasehold and may need its lease extended before it can sensibly be left or sold. Families split between Portsea Island, Gosport and Hayling Island often want an executor who is nearby rather than the eldest child in Manchester.
Lasting powers of attorney go with the will, so a relative can speak for them to the bank, the council and Queen Alexandra Hospital if dementia or a stroke takes away capacity, sparing the family a Court of Protection application. For older residents in Drayton, Farlington and Cosham the solicitor will also talk through care fees and what can and cannot be done to protect the house.
Probate follows: the valuations, the tax return to HMRC, the grant and the distribution. Portsmouth estates are rarely large enough for inheritance tax, but a leasehold flat, a boat on a mooring and an executor who lives abroad can complicate even a small one.
Wills and lasting powers of attorney are nearly always fixed-fee; probate is quoted fixed, hourly or as a percentage.
The wills and probate solicitors covering Portsmouth appear below, verified first and then nearest. Background reading: what a lasting power of attorney is, wills, trusts and probate explained and how much probate costs, plus the general will solicitors guide.
