A terraced house in East Dulwich bought for a few thousand pounds in the 1970s is now worth enough on its own to take an estate over the inheritance tax threshold, and the same is true of a right-to-buy flat in Bermondsey or Rotherhithe that has been in the family for forty years. Many people in Southwark who think of themselves as ordinary are, on paper, wealthy enough to need a will that plans for tax, and most have not made one.
A will solicitor in Southwark drafts a will that is validly witnessed and clear about who gets what, which is where home-made versions usually fail, and talks through the questions the borough's families actually face: how to leave a leasehold flat whose lease is running short, how to provide for a partner who was never married, since the intestacy rules give an unmarried partner nothing, and how to deal with property or relatives abroad. Peckham and Camberwell have strong West African and Caribbean communities, and an estate with assets in two countries often needs two wills drafted so that neither cancels the other.
Lasting powers of attorney, one for property and finance and one for health and welfare, are now part of most appointments, and are far cheaper than a Court of Protection application once capacity has gone. After a death the same firms handle probate: valuing the estate, settling tax with HMRC, obtaining the grant and distributing the assets, which executors may do themselves, at their own risk.
Wills and LPAs are almost always priced as fixed fees in Southwark; for probate, ask whether the firm charges a fixed sum, by the hour or a percentage of the estate.
Southwark's will and probate firms are listed below, verified first. The guides to lasting powers of attorney, the cost of a will and the cost of probate come first, then the explainer on wills, trusts and probate and the general will solicitors page.
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