Will writing in Rochdale

A will built around your circumstances.

A will records who should inherit your estate and who should deal with it after your death. It can also appoint guardians for children under 18 and trustees to look after money left for younger beneficiaries. Our will-writing service in Rochdale starts with a conversation about the people involved, the assets you own and the outcome you want.

The service suits people making their first will, couples arranging mirror wills and anyone whose family or finances have changed. You do not need a large estate to benefit from clear instructions. If you have children from an earlier relationship, a vulnerable beneficiary, overseas assets or a business, tell us at the outset so we can identify the advice needed.

Your first meeting.

Your initial consultation is free and can take place at Chichester House or on Zoom. Choose Rob Newman, Andrew Barker or Fiona Heyes using their individual booking links. We explain the choices in plain English and confirm the proposed work and price before you decide to proceed.

Bring photo identification, confirmation of your address and any existing will or codicil. A rough list of your home, savings, investments, pensions, business interests, debts and life policies is helpful. Include how property is owned and any significant gifts you have already made. Estimates are sufficient for the first conversation.

Please also bring the names and contact details of proposed executors, guardians and beneficiaries. Think about specific gifts, the division of everything left over and what should happen if a beneficiary dies before you. You do not need to settle every question before we meet.

From instructions to a draft.

We record your wishes, discuss suitable arrangements and confirm our understanding in writing. We consider whether joint ownership, pension nominations, trusts or company documents affect what the will can achieve. Separate inheritance tax planning or other specialist work is agreed and priced separately.

Once we have complete instructions, we aim to issue your first draft within 14 business days. We will tell you if complexity or missing information affects that timetable. If your circumstances are urgent, explain this before booking so we can discuss what is possible.

Read the draft carefully. Check names, addresses, gifts, executors and the arrangements for the remaining estate. Ask about anything you do not understand. We deal with agreed amendments before the final document is prepared. The time to completion depends on your review and the signing arrangements; the first-draft timescale is not a promise that every will will be signed within that period.

Signing and keeping your will.

A draft does not become an effective will simply because you approve it. We explain how to sign and have it witnessed correctly. For a standard will in England and Wales, you sign in the physical presence of two independent adult witnesses, who then sign in your presence. A beneficiary, or their spouse or civil partner, should not act as a witness.

We discuss signing support before finalisation. If you arrange signing yourself, we offer a check of the completed document, as far as practical, at no additional charge. Any separately chargeable supervision will be identified before you agree to it.

Our optional storage service costs £30 a year including VAT for a single person or couple. It covers wills, registered LPAs and associated estate-planning documents, with standard retrieval and return included. Stored wills have their location logged with the National Will Register. Tell your executors where the original is kept.

Mirror wills and business interests.

Mirror wills are separate documents reflecting similar wishes. They do not normally prevent the survivor from changing their own will. If you want to provide for a partner while protecting an inheritance for children from an earlier relationship, discuss that before choosing a straightforward mirror-will arrangement.

Business owners need their will to work with the company’s articles, shareholder agreements and any buyout or insurance arrangements. Read about wills for business owners or our guide to mirror wills and blended families. Our service covers England and Wales.