Originally published: October 23, 2014 | Last updated: May 12, 2025
Originally published: October 23, 2014 | Last updated: 29 May 2025
The blank Will forms which WHSmith distributes through their retail stores and online platforms fail to provide adequate legal protection. The documents fail to include sections for alternate executor appointments while they also do not explain how to select guardians for children. The documents also exclude trust creation procedures and they allow users to make fatal mistakes when distributing their inheritance which could lead to invalidating their planned arrangements. The online Will service LegalWills.co.uk operates through legal principles which solicitors follow to produce complete documents which contain no mistakes at an affordable price.
Why Do Blank Will Forms Fail?
Blank Will forms offer cheap estate planning services which create an illusory financial advantage but they do not provide professional legal guidance. The output from an interactive online Will service matches the content of a solicitor-created document. The two systems base their operations on legal precedents which people call “Will precedents” and “Parker’s modern Will precedents.” A solicitor does not write a Will from scratch; they assemble proven clauses. LegalWills.co.uk obtains their reference material from the same exact source.
The blank Will form contains empty fields which require users to fill them with their own information. We obtained an actual blank form kit which we used to examine every part of the online service output in comparison to our purchased product. The differences between these two things create major problems which could lead to complete destruction of the system.
A typical blank Will form. Empty spaces create critical errors which result in major system problems.
How Do Blank Forms Handle Executor Appointments?
Poorly. Most blank forms allow you to name a single executor and perhaps one alternate. The process of appointing joint executors remains unclear to me. The situation becomes complex when your first two choices for executor roles pass away before you do. An online Will service lets you name multiple executors, specify whether they act jointly or independently, and add as many alternates as needed. The form gives you one line and no guidance on powers, responsibilities, or what happens when your named executor cannot serve.
Can You Appoint Guardians for Children on a Blank Form?
The document contains only three words. A Will becomes incomplete when a person fails to designate a guardian for their children under age eighteen. The blank forms present only one line which states that someone should receive guardianship responsibilities. The documents fail to show space for alternate guardians while they lack direction about legal consequences of appointments and they do not let you state your preferred child upbringing methods. The online service leads you through every choice while it lets you select backup options which it transforms into correct legal language that matches your needs.
What About Funeral Wishes?
Most blank forms include a section for funeral wishes, which creates a dangerous misunderstanding. Your Will includes funeral wishes which do not hold legal authority because your family members have the choice to follow or disregard these instructions. The main problem arises because people wait until several days or weeks after death to read Wills which already passed the point of making funeral arrangements. A better method exists to document funeral wishes which you can do through MyFuneral at LegalWills.co.uk and then keep the document available for your family members to find right away.
How Do Blank Forms Handle Legacy Distribution?
Blank forms create the worst problems because they fail to fulfill their intended purposes. The typical form includes the heading which reads “I GIVE the following Legacies absolutely” and contains empty spaces for writing below. The situation allows multiple critical errors to occur:
The statement “my car to my nephews and Susan Brown” creates doubt about which vehicle and which family members and which Susan Brown should receive the car. The distribution process will establish which family members will obtain their inheritance share.
No alternate beneficiaries: If a named beneficiary predeceases you, there is no mechanism to redirect the gift
Percentage errors: Nothing prevents you from allocating shares that total more or less than 100%
Asset listing trap: People who want to list all their belongings fail to understand that a Will becomes effective when someone dies and their possessions have undergone complete transformation.
The online service prevents all these errors through its question system which performs validation checks and produces legal clauses that describe beneficiaries with their complete names and family connections and physical locations.
What Happens to the Residuary Estate?
The residuary estate includes all property which remains after the testator distributes specific items and pays all debts. A properly drafted Will always includes a residuary clause naming who receives the remainder. People who want to fill out this section need guidance because blank forms provide no instructions. The lack of a specific residuary clause will lead to distribution of unallocated assets through state intestacy laws which could send them to unexpected recipients.
Can Blank Forms Create Trusts?
No. If you have minor children who are beneficiaries, their inheritance must be held in trust until they reach adulthood. The process of creating a trust needs you to choose a trustee and establish the trust termination age and define the trustee’s ability to spend money for child benefit and describe what happens when the child passes away before getting their inheritance. The blank form lacks the ability to handle legal drafting which needs a high level of sophistication. An online Will service handles trust creation automatically when you name a minor as a beneficiary.
Do Blank Forms Cover “What If” Scenarios?
Almost never. A well-drafted Will must address contingencies: What if your spouse dies before you? What if a beneficiary predeceases you? What if your executor cannot serve? What if you and your spouse die in a common accident? The alternate provisions serve as vital components which enable a Will to function correctly under all possible situations. The online Will service prompts users to select backup options at every choice they make during the process. The blank form requires you to come up with these situations by yourself but most people do not understand them.
The Bottom Line: Blank Forms Are a False Economy
People can get blank Will forms for free or at a low cost but these faulty documents will lead to expensive legal battles which block inheritance distribution for multiple years. At LegalWills.co.uk, you can create a comprehensive, legally valid Will online in about 20 minutes for £49.95. The system uses solicitor legal precedents but it includes protective measures which blank forms do not offer.
All users who finished their blank forms need to review their documents for the mentioned problems. You can create a proper Will through an online service by using this document as your starting point. Your family needs a dependable document which will prove its worth.
Why Do Blank Will Forms Fail?
Blank Will forms position themselves as a cheap alternative to solicitors, but they create a false economy. The finished product from an interactive online Will service is usually identical to a document prepared by a solicitor. Both use established legal precedents known as “Will precedents” or “Parker’s modern Will precedents.” A solicitor does not write a Will from scratch; they assemble proven clauses. LegalWills.co.uk uses the exact same reference material.
A blank Will form, by contrast, gives you empty spaces and hopes you know what to write. We purchased a genuine blank form kit and compared it section by section with what an online service produces. The differences are significant and potentially devastating.
How Do Blank Forms Handle Executor Appointments?
Poorly. Most blank forms allow you to name a single executor and perhaps one alternate. But what happens if you want to appoint joint executors? Or if your first and second choices both predecease you? An online Will service lets you name multiple executors, specify whether they act jointly or independently, and add as many alternates as needed. The form gives you one line and no guidance on powers, responsibilities, or what happens when your named executor cannot serve.
Can You Appoint Guardians for Children on a Blank Form?
Barely. If you have minor children, appointing a guardian is arguably the most important decision in your Will. Blank forms typically provide a single line: “I appoint [name] as guardian.” They offer no space for alternate guardians, no guidance on what the appointment means legally, and no mechanism to express your wishes about how your children should be raised. An online service walks you through each decision, ensures alternates are named, and generates the precise legal language required.
What About Funeral Wishes?
Most blank forms include a section for funeral wishes, which creates a dangerous misunderstanding. Funeral wishes in a Will are not legally binding: they are expressions of desire that your family may or may not honour. The real problem is that a Will is often not read until days or weeks after death, by which time funeral arrangements are already made. A more effective approach is to document funeral wishes separately using a service like MyFuneral at LegalWills.co.uk and store the document where your family can find it immediately.
How Do Blank Forms Handle Legacy Distribution?
This is where blank forms fail most dramatically. A typical form provides the heading “I GIVE the following Legacies absolutely” with blank lines underneath. This invites multiple critical errors:
- Ambiguous descriptions: Writing “my car to my nephews and Susan Brown” raises questions, which car? Which nephews? Which Susan Brown? In what shares?
- No alternate beneficiaries: If a named beneficiary predeceases you, there is no mechanism to redirect the gift
- Percentage errors: Nothing prevents you from allocating shares that total more or less than 100%
- Asset listing trap: Many people try to list every possession, not understanding that a Will is read at death when assets may have changed entirely
An online service prevents every one of these errors through structured questions, validation checks, and properly drafted legal clauses that describe beneficiaries with full names, relationships, and addresses.
What Happens to the Residuary Estate?
The residuary estate is everything left after specific gifts and debts are paid. A properly drafted Will always includes a residuary clause naming who receives the remainder. Blank forms often include this section but provide minimal guidance on how to complete it. Without a clear residuary clause, any unallocated assets are distributed under intestacy rules, potentially going to people you never intended.
Can Blank Forms Create Trusts?
No. If you have minor children who are beneficiaries, their inheritance must be held in trust until they reach adulthood. Creating a trust requires specifying a trustee, the age at which the trust ends, the trustee’s powers to use funds for the child’s benefit, and what happens if the child dies before receiving the inheritance. This is sophisticated legal drafting that a blank form simply cannot accommodate. An online Will service handles trust creation automatically when you name a minor as a beneficiary.
Do Blank Forms Cover “What If” Scenarios?
Almost never. A well-drafted Will must address contingencies: What if your spouse dies before you? What if a beneficiary predeceases you? What if your executor cannot serve? What if you and your spouse die in a common accident? These alternate provisions are essential for a Will that works in all circumstances. Online Will services systematically prompt you for alternates at every decision point. Blank forms leave you to think of these scenarios yourself, and most people do not.
The Bottom Line: Blank Forms Are a False Economy
Blank Will forms may cost nothing or a few pounds, but a Will filled with errors, omissions, and ambiguities can cost your family thousands in legal fees and years of delay. At LegalWills.co.uk, you can create a comprehensive, legally valid Will online in about 20 minutes for £49.95. Using the same legal precedents that solicitors use, with built-in safeguards that blank forms cannot provide.
If you have already completed a blank form, review it carefully against the issues described above. Better yet, use it as a starting point to create a properly drafted Will through an online service. Your family deserves the certainty that comes from a document that actually works.
He has over 20 years of experience helping people to write their Will and other estate planning documents. He has been interviewed by many of the major news media outlets and has contributed to articles in most leading publications. He has also contributed to a number of financial planning books.
Throughout his career, Tim has written extensively on the subject of Will writing and estate planning.
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