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If you die without a will in the UK, your estate will be distributed among your family, children and other relatives in line with the rules of intestacy, meaning that your beliefs and personal preferences will not be considered.
If you are part of a couple and you both have the same wishes and requests for each other and your children (if you have any), it may be more convenient for you to write mirror wills in order to ensure that both of your wills express identical wishes (except individual funeral preferences) and to make sure your partner, children and assets are protected in the event of your death.
Here at Wills.Services, you can easily write your joint mirror wills online from the comfort of your own home, without having to use costly solicitors. Plus, you will get extra help from our advisors who will ensure your will is legally-binding as per UK law, which is included in the cost of making a mirror will.
But what exactly does a mirror will entail and does this type of will suit you and your family?
So, what is a mirror will?
Mirror wills – sometimes referred to as joint wills or mutual wills – are a set of 2 wills deliberately made to reflect the same wishes.
Both legal documents are almost identical to each other and include the same wishes, apart from the name of the testator (the person writing the will) and their personal funeral requests.
Their estate will be distributed in the same way – usually to the surviving partner and then any children – and the guardianship orders (and most other aspects) will be identical.
The most common mirror will arrangements usually leave all the assets to the surviving partner and then the children.
This means that when the first partner passes away, the surviving one is protected, and when the second partner dies, the children will then inherit the estate, thus keeping the assets within the bloodline.
Mirror wills are perfect for couples who have the same wishes regarding their estate and how their assets should be distributed in the event of their deaths.
Engaged, married or civil partners should consider writing mirror wills as soon as possible – especially if they have children – in order to ensure that their family and their assets will be protected if the worst should happen.
If, however, you and your partner have different wishes, then you should make separate wills in order to represent both of your individual preferences.
There are many benefits to creating mirror wills, including:
Of course, everyone’s circumstances are different, which means that a single will may be better suited to some, while others will benefit more from mirror wills.
Once you register with Wills.Service to begin your will application, you will have to answer a range of questions to determine the type of will you need. If your will is more complex than a basic will, our expert advisors will get in touch with you to help put you on the right path.
Changing a mirror will can be done in the same way that you would be able to update or amend your own standard, single will.
Either partner is able to change their will at any time, so they are not necessarily set-in-stone forever once they are set up.
It is important to remember that your partner is not legally obligated to inform you of any changes made to their mirror will, so it is highly advised that you fully trust your partner before creating a mutual will.
If one person dies, the surviving partner is able to change their will as they please.
This unfortunately means that your surviving partner could change their will and leave the assets you left behind to someone that you do not want, if they remarry or have children with someone else, for example.
In order to further protect your assets, you may want to look into setting up a trust – another legal service which we can help you with here at Wills.Services.
You can try to make arrangements yourself using a mirror will template, but there is a high risk of making mistakes due to the complicated legal requirements, and getting just the smallest of details wrong could be costly and leave your will invalid.
The best and most efficient way to make mirror wills is to use a professional will writing service – this way, you avoid mistakes and can guarantee that the wishes within will be carried out as you intended.
Read more: How to Make a Will at Home
Here at Wills.Services, we offer a professional and reliable will writing service, where you can make a will online with minimal effort on your part.
Writing a mirror will is easy to do and is cheaper than making two separate single wills, as you can see in our price comparison table.
Here at Wills.Services, we offer both single and mirror wills at the following prices:
Single wills: £29.99
Mirror wills: £49.99
The above costs are applicable for a limited time only and are usually £39.99 and £59.99 respectively.
Our costs are significantly more affordable than both Slater + Gordon (£84) and Co-op Legal Service (£234), who offer the same service, and they are much cheaper than using independent solicitors, which can cost upwards of £200 depending on the services you require.
To get started with making your mirror wills today, sign up to Wills.Services by using our straightforward online form.
As our will writing service is handled primarily online, you can set up your will from the comfort of your own home, without the need for lengthy meetings or telephone conversations.
If you are interested but aren’t sure about any part of the process, be sure to complete our short contact form and a professional member of our team will be in touch at a time that suits you to give you the advice that you need.
For information regarding our other legal services, such as applying for probate, appointing an executor and setting up a lasting power of attorney, be sure to read our related guides and articles.
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