What will happen to my foreign property?

If any of your assets are located overseas, different rules may affect how they are treated when you pass away.

If you hold any interests in land in another country, the law of that country will determine what will happen to it at the time of your passing.

Other property will be dealt with according to the law of the place in which you are domiciled at the time. Your domicile can depend on a number of things and is not automatically the place where you were born, where you may have lived the longest in the past or where you currently live (although you will be regarded as domiciled in a particular place if you now live there and intend to stay there).

In some jurisdictions, there are strict laws which mean that some of your foreign property will have to be left to certain family members.

Some people feel it is necessary to have two wills: one dealing with their UK assets and another which disposes of their foreign property.

This is a matter of personal choice, but with proper research and careful drafting it is entirely possible to draft your will in a way which complies with both the law here and in the country or countries in which your foreign property is located.

At Hutton’s, we will guide you through the preparation of your will and explain clearly all of the relevant issues about which you need to be aware.

You will receive detailed advice on how best to plan ahead. We will ensure that your wishes are achieved through estate planning and an expertly drafted will, tailored to meet your specific needs.