Make a Will with Willpower

28/09/2022

https://in-cyprus.philenews.com/news/local/construction-of-first-ever-crematorium-in-cyprus-gets-green-light/ #

Construction for the first ever crematorium in Cyprus has been given the green light by the island’s environmental authority, Philenews reported on Wednesday.Behind the project is M.W. CREMATORIUM CYPRUS LTD and the designated location is an industrial area within the municipality of Ayia Varvara ...

26/01/2022

Cyprus’ forced heirship regime means relatives must get a portion of a deceased’s assets By Andreas Damianou A will is a person’s written declaration of his/her intention regarding the way he/she wishes to dispose his/her movable and immovable property after he/she passes away. However, a pers...

18/03/2018

Warning over DIY wills after families disinherit their children http://dailym.ai/2GpViGI via http://dailym.ai/android

Lawyers have reported a rise in people preventing family members from being a beneficiary of their will by asking them to be a witness to their signature - which rules them out of receiving anything.

30/10/2017

What you need to think about when writing a will http://dailym.ai/2y4Vtq1 via http://dailym.ai/android

In Cyprus it is even more important to make a Will than in UK.

In theory writing a will sounds simple. You decide who you want to leave your worldly wealth to and get a legally watertight will drawn up. There's a bit more to think about than that though.

04/03/2017

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/tax/inheritance/new-death-tax-confirmed-probate-fees-20000-will-apply-may/?platform=hootsuite

The Government has ignored overwhelming opposition and pushed ahead the introduction of a dramatic rise in probate fees, taking effect from May 2017.

04/10/2016

My ex remarried but died before making a new will - who inherits?

http://dailym.ai/2doYmFQ

My husband and I made joint wills. We are divorced and he remarried three years ago. He has recently passed away and didn't make a will with his new wife. Is his old will with me valid?

08/04/2016

This is good news. Finally this is an option in Cyprus provided you register.

After many years of delays Cyprus has finally passed a law allowing for cremations to take place. Unanimously passed by the House of...

07/09/2015

How does the abolishment of section 42 affect my Will?

Until recently, British people who own assets in Cyprus have been able to make a Will which distributes their Cyprus estate according to their wishes and free of the restrictions of the Cypriot system of forced heirship.
However this concession, known as section 42, was removed from Cyprus law on 3rd July 2015 and now everyone who owns assets in Cyprus will be subject to the system of forced heirship.
It is unlikely that this system will suit many couples as it gives children a right to inherit a share of their parents’ estate, even if their parents spouse is still alive. It also makes no provision for a step child to inherit a share of an estate left to their step parent by their natural parent.
For people who are British nationals (hold a United Kingdom Passport) it is expected that a new EU regulation on succession (referred to as Brussels IV) which came into effect on 17th August 2015 will help. Although the United Kingdom opted out of the EU regulation, it allows a citizen (including a non EU citizen) who owns assets in any EU country (except the United Kingdom, Eire and Denmark ) to declare in a ‘testamentary declaration’ whether the law of their nationality or the law of their habitual residence applies to the distribution of their estate.
This declaration can be made in a Codicil and Willpower are providing a template of the Codicil, with instructions on how to complete it, free of charge to all of our clients. Anyone who drew up or amended their Will with Willpower after 1st January 2015 will already have the necessary wording in their Will and therefore won’t need to complete the Codicil. If you are a Willpower client with a Cyprus Will dated before this date and you don’t hear from us within the next couple of months then please contact us.
Contact us too, if you are not a client of Willpower and would like free advice on having a Will drawn-up which complies with the new regulation.
Willpower can draft UK and/or Cyprus Wills and Lasting Powers of Attorney for UK assets. We have been based in the UK for over 20 years and have been providing wills in Cyprus for several years.
We are members of the Institute of Professional Willwriters and abide by a Code of Practice approved by the UK Trading Standards Institute.
For free advice without obligation please contact our Cyprus based consultant Jane Carr on tel. (00357) 99565815. Email :[email protected]. Also see www.willpower.co

29/07/2015

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3176258/Daughter-written-mother-s-bitter-letter-eloped-37-years-ago-awarded-160-000.html

After reading this controversial news item you may wonder why you should make a will excluding someone when the court can over turn it.

A more balanced view of the case is here :

http://wilkes.co.uk/woman-wins-164k-despite-being-excluded-from-her-mothers-will/

There are some special factors in this case

1) The Will made provision for charities who had no reason to expect to be beneficiaries of the Will

2) The testatrix had no previous connection to the charities

3) The award was made so that the daughter could buy a house and release her from a dependency on housing benefit

4) The testatrices view of her daughters relationship with her husband, which was the nub of the issue, was somewhat distorted.

Therefore, in most cases this ruling doesn’t change the benefit of having a Will and the role that a Will can play when excluding a beneficiary.

In the case of excluding a close family member we will be recommending that notes are kept with the reasons for exclusion.
Further more,where the beneficiaries chosen instead of an excluded beneficiary appear to have no connection with the testator, such as friends, charities, distant relatives, there should be notes kept on why those beneficiaries have been chosen.

03/06/2015

Making a Lasting Power of Attorney is just as important as making a Will. It is like an insurance policy. Those closest to you may never need it, but if they are responsible for looking after your finances in the future, they will certainly be relieved that you arranged an LPA. This article in the Daily Mail highlights some problems even if there is an LPA. Without one it will be impossible to manage someone's financial affairs at a time of crisis without expensive legal costs and months of delays. Ask Jane at Willpower for more information on making your own LPA.

While some banks and building societies allow you to run the account online for an ailing parent, others insist that you do so by post or through a branch.

21/04/2015

Making a Will is so important.

Mayall, who played scheming Tory MP Alan B’Stard in ITV series The New Statesman, and a host of other comedy characters, died suddenly aged 56 last June.