Welcome to Greymoores
Greymoores makes it easy for you to decide who you want to deal with your affairs during your lifetime and how your estate is distributed when you die.
We specialise in the preparation of accurate, creative and effective wills and Lasting Powers of Attorney for people like you.
We are trusted by generations of families across England and Wales.
Our fees are affordable with no hidden charges.
You can visit us at Grange Court, Leominster – a stunning Grade II* listed timber-framed market hall now fully restored and turned into a Community, Enterprise and Heritage Hub – or we can visit you at home or at work.
Greymoores – bringing you our expertise.
Why You Should Make A Will
In a recent survey over one million people ended up having a family break-up because a relative died without making a will. In almost one in five cases relatives ended up not speaking to one another again. Almost 59% of the adult population die without a will, but many of those said they were leaving such-and-such an item to their loved ones only for the law to step in and direct that the deceased’s property be handled in a particular manner.
There is no good reason, whether rich or poor, young or old not to have a will.
Why Every Adult Should Have A Lasting Power of Attorney
As a nation we are all living longer and it is expected that dementia will rise beyond one million people in the next 10 years. A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is not just for the old or infirm, but also for anyone aged 18 or over. Your husband, wife, partner, parent cannot step in to deal with your affairs without an LPA being in place.
An LPA is a hugely important document that sets out how you want your affairs – whether financial or health – to be dealt with in the event of mental incapacity.
Some Frequently Asked Questions
What is a will?
A will is a legal document that sets out how you wish your estate to be distributed to whom and by which trusted family, friends or professionals.
The terms of your will do not operate until you die, so there is scope to make changes as major events occur in your life such as:
- inheriting property;
- buying a house;
- marrying;
- having children;
- divorcing;
- losing your husband, wife or civil partner; or
- suffering a serious accident or diagnosed a critical or terminal illness.
Who can make a will?
Anyone 18 or over and of sound mind can and should make a will. You must understand that you are making a will and that you are making the particular will you are signing.
How much does a will cost?
A simple will £150
A pair of simple mirror wills £250
A will including trust(s) £350
A pair of wills including trust(s) £450
Severance of the beneficial joint tenancy and notification at Land Registry £80
If you live within 20 miles of Grange Court, Leominster we will not charge for visiting you at your home or office. If you live further afield we charge £1.74 per mile (rounded to the nearest 10 miles) to cover fuel costs and time out of our office after the first 20 miles. Here are some examples:
- Worcester – 52.6 miles – rounded down – £87 – £34.80 = £52.20
- Ross-on-Wye – 55 miles – rounded up – £104.40 – £34.80 = £69.60
- Shrewsbury – 84 miles – rounded down – £139.20 – £34.80 = £104.40
- Welshpool – 90 miles – £156.60 – £34.80 = £121.80
All fees are inclusive of VAT.
A simple will is one appointing executors, guardians of children under 18, providing for gifts of money, specific gifts of property (such as jewellery, watches, pictures etc.) and everything else to an individual.
A mirror will is one that is the similar to the other save for the names of the persons making the will and, perhaps, some minor changes to specific gifts.
A typical trust included in a will might be a life interest trust of the matrimonial home or a discretionary trust of residue.
Example 2 – Christopher (a widower) wants to leave his estate to his children Rachel (19), Lisa (17) and Joseph (14). Two of his children have not reached 18 at the time of seeing us so Christopher has four options:
- using a trust so each child gets a share of Christopher’s estate on attaining 18;
- using a trust so each child gets a share of Christopher’s estate on attaining an age between 18 – 25;
- using an immediate post-death interest trust;
- using a discretionary trust.
Where you wish to give away a joint interest in land, it may be necessary to sever the joint tenancy. You might remember that when you bought your house/flat, you decided that if either one of the joint owners were to die then the surviving joint owner would take the deceased’s share automatically. This means that it does not matter what you say in your will about that property the terms will be ineffective without severing the joint tenancy. If you hold the property as ‘tenants in common’ then you are free to give your share in the property under the terms of your will.
Who can make a Lasting Power of Attorney?
Anyone aged 18 or over, who has the mental ability to deal with their affairs.
An undischarged bankrupt cannot make a property and finacial affairs LPA, but can make a health and welfare LPA.
How much does a Lasting Power of Attorney cost?
We charge a fixed-fee of £240 which includes taking your instructions for the completion of the relevant LPA, the preparation of the relevant forms for signature by you, your attorneys and your certificate provider and the work necessary for us to register the LPA at the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG). Without registration the LPA is ineffective.
If you live within 20 miles of Grange Court, Leominster we will not charge for visiting you at your home or office. If you live further afield we charge £1.74 per mile (rounded to the nearest 10 miles) to cover fuel costs and time out of our office after the first 20 miles. Here are some examples:
- Worcester – 52.6 miles – rounded down – £87 – £34.80 = £52.20
- Ross-on-Wye – 55 miles – rounded up – £104.40 – £34.80 = £69.60
- Shrewsbury – 84 miles – rounded down – £139.20 – £34.80 = £104.40
- Welshpool – 90 miles – £156.60 – £34.80 = £121.80
All fees are inclusive of VAT.
There is a registration charge made by the OPG, which is £110 for each LPA. However, there is scope to reduce this fee in two circumstances:
- if you receive means tested benefits (for example income support, council tax benefit, housing benefit or pension guarantee credit) the fee may be reduced by 100%; or
- if you are not receiving means tested benefits but your income is less than £12,000 then it is possible for claim a remission of 50%. In this case you have to pay £110 and if the OPG is statisfied with the evidence you have provided the OPG will refund £55.
About Us
We believe:
- every adult should have a will and at least one Lasting Power of Attornery;
- your will or Lasting Power of Attorney need not be expensive;
- a will or Lasting Power of Attorney should be intelligently drafted, unique to your circumstances and fulfill your objectives;
- the very best way for a will or Lasting Power of Attorney to be prepared is through a face-to-face meeting where you will be given the time to discuss your affairs;
- we offer you experienced indepth advice – free of jargon – helpful guidance and quality drafting at a fair price.
Our Mission is to own and develop a finanicially disciplined business that provides knowledgable advice to people in our community wanting to make provisions for the management of their property or health and wellbeing in the event of mental incapacity and/or the distribution of their estate on death in an orderly and undisputed manner.
We know you are seeking knowledgable people.
We will invest in the very best people, training and education to ensure you experience superior client services. The quality and reliability of our services we deliver are paramount.
We focus on client care and delivery of service.
We know the areas of law we specialise in and can explain them to clients. We focus on delivering documentation and advice in a timely manner. We know that having the highest ethical and professional standards is a competitive advantage.
Integrity is at the core of our business.
We follow sound business practices in dealing with our clients, suppliers, owners and competitors. We do not see our competitors as our enemies, but challengers making us strive daily to improve.
We are part of the community.
We strive to be local to our clients yet have a national perspective. We will recruit from our community. We will help students with their studies through work experience. We will support the Palmer Children’s Trust and other charities.
We are specialists. Our business focuses only on drafting wills and Lasting Powers of Attorney.
We are dedicated to lifelong learning and keeping abreast of changes to Acts of Parliament, regulations and developments in case law relating to the drafting of wills and Lasting Powers of Attorney, inheritance tax, capital gains tax and income tax, care home provisions and trusts.
We use precedents to form the basis of all our wills we draft. We use a clause bank to assist us in drafting various parts of the Lasting Powers of Attorneys we issue. These precedents and our clause bank have been drafted by solicitors who have more than 20 years experience in this field of law and we believe are some of the most extensive used today. You can be assured therefore that our documents are robust, well developed and imaginatively address your needs.
Our managing director, Julian Palmer, is a lecturer and examiner for the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners* (STEP) lecturing in the UK, Isle of Man, Monaco, Switzerland and Singapore to name a few places. He has previously been a principal lecturer at the University of Birmingham (honorary) and at De Montfort University where he taught Equity and Trusts to M.Phil level. Julian sits on three technical tax committees at the Law Society, advises the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (pro bono) and also writes for LexisNexis Butterworths/Tolleys, contributes to Atkins Court Forms and is a consultant editor for Halsbury’s Laws of England.
* The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners is regarded as the gold standard both in the UK and internationally. There are no higher qualifications offered by any other will writing institute or society.
We bring our expertise to you.
Make A Will For FREE!
Available on-line during the months of March and October is your opportunity to draft your will for FREE!
The Palmer Children’s Trust is a charity that supports children and young people with life limiting and terminal illness. Rachel and Julian Palmer, directors of Greymoores, are trustees of the charity and so to promote the charity we offer a free on-line will service. All that we ask is that you make a minimum donation of £150 in your will to the Palmer Children’s Trust.
To benefit from this offer, click here to register your interest and during March and October complete your will on-line by answering a series of questions using the link we send you. We will review your will and email a final version for signature.
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