Hong Kong became a British territory in 1842 after a spat over opium, although China got the land back in 1997. However, the special administrative region is still firmly British in terms of many ways of doing things. Woofoo Social Enterprise has been trying to convince … [Read more...]
Archives for July 2019
How Intestacy Rules Apply Where There Is No Will
Intestacy refers to the situation of an estate when the deceased person left no will (or diligent effort failed to find their testament). If there is a will, but it only mentions a few assets then the balance of that estate is intestate too. However, either of … [Read more...]
What to Do After a Loved One Dies (Part 2)
This is the second post in a three-part series about handling the paperwork after a loved one died, and entrusted the sad task to you. You may have never actually spoken about it. However as their partner you have decided it is your sad duty to follow through. We … [Read more...]
Did the UK Wills Act of 1837 Pass Its Use-By-Date?
The year 1837 was an interesting, even a momentous one. Any British schoolkid may remember that was the year Victoria became United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Queen, and Defender of the Faith. The government launched an enquiry into the possibility of … [Read more...]
Living Safely Does Not Necessarily Mean Stopping Hoarding
You’re a compulsive hoarder and you came to this site expecting us to tell you to clear out your home. We are not going to offer that standard, one-size fits-all advice to chuck everything away. That’s because we understand that hoarding relieves the stress you feel … [Read more...]
What to Do After a Loved One Dies (Part 3)
This is the third and final post about closing out a loved one’s estate. In our imagination your partner passed away leaving you to tidy up what they left behind. However, our advice is broad-reaching and should apply to almost every estate in the UK, and further … [Read more...]
Half UK Adults Are Yet to Make a Will – Does This Really Matter?
It may not matter at all to the deceased - unless they are able to look down ‘from above’ and tut-tut about what happens ‘below’. However, it could cause chaos to those left behind as they struggle to make sense of what to do next. The burden of deciding usually … [Read more...]
Solicitor Who Jumped the Probate Gun Pays £15,000 Fine
One needs to be extra careful when handling funds in the estate of an ultra-high net-worth foreign national, as a London solicitor discovered. He sent £1.575 million to the widow while a dispute was raging according to Legal Futures. For his trouble, the Solicitors … [Read more...]
Hoarding in the Context of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Obsessive compulsive disorder gives rise to obsessions and compulsions that are more marked than the ‘average person’ in society experiences. Obsessions happen inside our minds and are signs of being fixated about something. We’ll separate the two and consider … [Read more...]
Reclaim the PPI That a Deceased Person Paid
Payment protection insurance (PPI) was a neat little upsell lenders used to have in the UK. It wasn’t always clear you were buying PPI, and some lenders were making as much money as the insurers. Whatever the case - fair or not - the UK government decided you can … [Read more...]