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Wills and Estate Specialist, Trudi Dickinson, explains how the Wills and probate industry has adapted during the pandemic.

The global pandemic has so far resulted in various amendments to laws and processes to adapt to, from social distancing requirements to lockdown measures.  So, what has changed for the Wills and Probate industry?

Before Coronavirus, deaths had to be registered in person at the local register office where the deceased lived.  The new Coronavirus Act 2020 allows death registration appointments to occur via telephone without effecting timescales.  Deaths still need to be registered within 5 days in the UK or 8 days in Scotland.

The Probate Registry started accepting electronic applications so bereaved families could apply for the Grant of Probate from the comfort of their homes.  This process has proven much more efficient as it eliminates paper and post.

Death certificates were delayed due to the required quarantine period for medical notes to avoid viral transmissions.  As an alternative, PDF copies were being temporarily accepted to facilitate the process.  Also reducing paper and postage.

An amendment to The Wills Act 1837, now allows two people to witness a Will virtually if in-person witnessing is not possible.  It applies to all Wills created between 31 January 2020 and 31 January 2022.  This change was welcomed by some;  however, professionals expect this to lead to an increase in disputes.  Please note, this can be very difficult to carry out, please discuss this with our experts.

For us at David Allen, we have adapted to the new ‘normal’ and introduced video conferencing into our offices.  Where it is not possible to meet clients in the office or at their homes, we can now video call them.  This has proven to be successful for our experts and clients.  Masks are now worn by clients who wish to have a meeting within one of our offices, with hand sanitiser and wipes available for client and staff use.

If a home meeting is necessary, we would always offer a video meeting as our first choice, we obtain confirmation from the client that they are happy for us to enter their home, and then use maximum level protocols in order to protect everyone’s health and wellbeing.  We use hand sanitiser, gloves, masks, and social distance.

If you would like to discuss making a Will with our experts, please contact us.