A Will is the only way to ensure your estate passes to the people you choose. Without one, the intestacy rules decide — and they rarely match what most people actually want.

• Must be signed in front of 2 independent witnesses who also sign it
• Witnesses and their spouses/civil partners cannot benefit from the Will
• Marriage or civil partnership automatically revokes an existing Will
• Divorce does not revoke a Will — but gifts to an ex-spouse lapse
• You must be 18+ (except active military) and of testamentary capacity
• A Will can be changed at any time via a Codicil or entirely new Will
• The executor named doesn't have to accept — always ask them first
• Mirror Wills for couples are common but are two separate legal documents

Legal reference: Wills Act 1837; Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975; Administration of Estates Act 1925