What we find when we review Wills: the numbers

Six months on from launching our complimentary Will review service, we have now reviewed existing Wills from every kind of provider, brought to us by families and their advisers. This page sets out what we find, and is kept as the single reference point for the figures we publish.

The population picture

Independent third-party studies suggest that across the general population, around 30% of Wills have major issues and around 50% have some form of issue. Our own review work is consistent with that picture.

What our reviews find

Across the Wills we review: around 1 in 4 contain a legal or drafting defect, and only around 1 in 7 need no action at all.

The convergence is the point

Our 1-in-4 defect rate sits almost exactly on the independent ~30% population baseline - two different lenses, one picture. We treat that convergence, rather than any single headline number, as the strongest evidence that the problem is real and general.

The existing-Will pattern

Reviews are not only for people who doubt their Will. Of clients instructing a new Will with us, 29% already had one - people whose existing planning, on examination, warranted replacing rather than keeping.

An honest note on method

These are findings from Wills brought to us for review - a self-selected sample, not a random survey of the nation's Wills. That is exactly why we also cite the independent population studies above, and why we state our own figures as "of the Wills we review". The pattern across both is the same: most existing Wills benefit from review, and a substantial minority carry serious problems their owners do not know about.

What the issues look like

The recurring categories: out-of-date wishes after life changes; property ownership that defeats the Will; class gifts that exclude intended beneficiaries; missing LPAs alongside otherwise sound Wills; forgotten trusts; and relief clauses overtaken by law changes.

Key takeaways

• Independent studies: around 30% of Wills have major issues, around 50% some issue
• Our reviews: around 1 in 4 have a legal or drafting defect; only 1 in 7 need no action - and the convergence with the independent baseline is the strongest evidence of all
• Stated carefully: our figures describe the Wills we review

A review by a STEP-qualified estate planner is complimentary and without obligation - the fastest way to find out which side of the numbers your Will sits on.