A legally valid will ensures your wishes are clear about who should benefit from your estate after you die.

If someone dies without a valid will in place, then the law will decide who inherits everything that person owned. This includes any property and its contents, money held in bank accounts and investments, cars, personal possessions, and even pets.

If a will is not clear and watertight it could be legally challenged. The number of contested wills going to the High Court rose by 62% in 2019.

The most common reason for contesting a will in 2018 was ‘undue influence’ — but it was the least likely to be successful, according to research from Pureprofile. The most successful grounds were ‘lack of knowledge and approval’ and ‘lack of capacity’.