Originally published: 27 March 2015 | Last updated: 10 July 2025
TL;DR: Blank Will kits from shops or free downloads represent the most dangerous method for creating a Will. The service fails to provide any information about which jurisdiction applies or what legal requirements exist or which common problems people encounter. The following list presents twenty specific ways that a DIY Will kit can create problems because of wrong signing methods and missing essential clauses which make online Will services safer and more cost-effective.
Why are blank Will kits so risky?
Blank Will kits appear to be the cheapest way to create a Will. The product costs only a few pounds at WHSmith while you can also grab it through a free download. The better the design of the basic kit setup the more challenging it becomes to create a legally compliant Will with proper drafting. The kit provides you with an empty form which makes you responsible to fill in all information correctly without receiving any help or confirmation.
LegalWills.co.uk established a list of 45 blank Will kit failure methods during their initial research. The team selected twenty primary issues which would make your Will void while creating major problems between your family members after you pass away.
20 Ways a Blank Will Kit Can Lead to Disaster
1. You don’t check where the Will kit came from
You should identify the original creator of free Will kit templates before downloading them. Anyone can create a professional legal website through a few hours of work. The service lets people register trustworthy domain names while providing free Will templates but these templates fail to deliver correct legal content which suits your specific needs. Always verify the source and credentials of any legal document template before using it.
2. Not covering the correct jurisdiction
The legal standards which govern Will writing operate independently between England and Wales and Scotland and Northern Ireland. A blank Will kit does not specify which jurisdiction it was created for because it uses legal language and methods from foreign systems. Your entire Will becomes invalid when you use a kit which was not created for the correct jurisdiction. LegalWills.co.uk operates as an online Will service which uses its system to determine the proper legal framework that applies to your specific location.
3. Using an out-of-date Will kit
The legal rules which govern Wills and estates receive periodic updates. A Will kit which exists on store shelves and website platforms might use outdated legal rules which no longer apply. There is no requirement for Will kit publishers to update their products, and there is no expiry date printed on the packaging. You have no way of knowing whether the kit reflects current law.
4. Doing something you are not legally allowed to do
The law creates certain limits about which items you can include when you make a Will. The English legal system prevents you from completely removing your spouse or civil partner from your inheritance. They can make a claim under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975. The blank Will kit fails to warn users about these limitations which lead them to create provisions that courts will later reject.
5. Listing all of your assets individually
Many people using a blank Will kit try to list every asset they own, the house, the car, bank accounts, jewellery, and assign each one to a specific beneficiary. The method contains two main essential flaws which create major issues.
You probably will not die today. Over the years, you will buy and sell assets, open and close accounts. Your Will needs to work in 10, 20, or 30 years, not just today.
You will inevitably forget something. What happens to assets not listed in the Will? The distribution of unlisted assets will follow intestacy rules because your Will lacks a proper residual clause.
6. Not covering alternate scenarios
What happens if your primary beneficiary dies before you? A well-drafted Will includes alternate beneficiaries and contingency provisions. Blank Will kits fail to guide users through the process of creating contingency plans for different situations. The portion of your estate which you left to a named beneficiary will enter intestacy if your beneficiary dies before you and you did not specify an alternative beneficiary.
7. Not clearly identifying beneficiaries
The blank Will kit provides a space to write names but it does not help users understand how to correctly identify their beneficiaries. Writing “my nephew John” is insufficient if you have multiple nephews named John. Each beneficiary should be identified by full legal name, date of birth, and relationship to you. People often create Will disputes because they fail to properly identify the persons who will inherit their estate.
8. Not including a residual clause
The residual clause is arguably the most important part of any Will. The document contains all items which exist outside of the defined list. The absence of a residual clause would lead to asset distribution through intestacy rules for all assets which do not have specific listing in the Will. The blank Will kits fail to explain why this section holds importance and they also do not show users how to create their own versions of this section.
9. Getting the arithmetic wrong
The process of dividing an estate into percentages or fractions becomes difficult when you start to apply it in practice. Splitting an estate equally between 5 children expressed as a fraction is not straightforward. The process of dividing three beneficiaries into equal percentage shares (33.33% x 3 = 99.99%) produces an unresolvable mathematical problem. The mathematical mistakes lead to actual disputes which need court intervention to solve them.
10. Not writing legibly
The blank space in Will kits requires users to write their instructions by hand. Dangerous ambiguity appears because people cannot read the unclear handwriting. Writers who produce “£50,00” face difficulty because readers cannot determine if they meant to write £50, £500, £5,000 or £50,000 due to their improper use of punctuation. A typed Will which digital methods create removes this danger from existence.
11. Not granting the correct powers to the Executor
The Executor needs specific legal powers to handle your estate administration work successfully. The process involves selling property while managing investments and paying off debts before distributing assets to beneficiaries. A blank Will kit typically does not include the detailed executor powers clauses that a professionally drafted Will contains. The Executor would need to seek court authorization to perform any essential duties which would extend the estate administration process while increasing its costs.
12. Not correctly setting up trusts for young children
The assets which you leave to children under 18 need to stay in trust until they reach their designated age for access. The establishment of trusts requires specific legal language which defines trustee appointment procedures and their powers and specifies when beneficiaries reach their inheritance control age. The blank Will kit does not provide instructions for trust creation and an incorrectly drafted trust will fail to work.
13. Not naming guardians for children
Your Will needs to include a legal guardian appointment which will protect your children under 18 years old when both parents have passed away. This particular section stands as a vital element which all parents must include in their Wills but blank Will kits tend to ignore its presence while failing to educate about proper guardian appointment rules.
14. Including funeral wishes in your Will
Most people use their Will documents to specify their funeral arrangements. The document should include burial or cremation preferences and music selection instructions and any additional specific desires. The problem is that a Will typically is not read until after the funeral has taken place. The legal process which establishes the Will as an official document takes place after the funeral service has finished. Funeral wishes need to exist in a separate document which you should keep alongside your Will instead of including them in the Will itself. LegalWills.co.uk provides a free MyFuneral service which exists to meet this specific need.
15. Making handwritten changes to the Will
You might discover missing information after you finish a blank Will kit or your life situation has transformed. The worst thing you can do is cross something out and write corrections on the document. Handwritten changes which people add to their Wills through interlineations become invalid when they fail to receive appropriate signatures and witness marks which match the original Will requirements. Any unauthorized modifications will cause the entire document to become invalid while creating disagreements about what you intended.
16. Trying to be too complicated in your descriptions
The blank Will kit offers an unstructured space which lacks any organized system. People often try to write detailed, complex instructions about exactly how and when assets should be distributed. The descriptions contain multiple instances of unclear information which include opposing statements and non-binding provisions because these writers lack formal legal education. A blank form does not provide any assistance to help you keep things straightforward and transparent.
17. Including conditional bequests
Conditional gifts (such as “my daughter receives my house only if she graduates from university”) are legally complex. The process of creating enforceable conditions needs exact wording but some conditions become unenforceable because they violate public policy rules. A blank Will kit provides no guidance on whether your intended conditions are legally valid or how to phrase them correctly.
18. Not signing the document correctly
The legal process to create a Will in England and Wales requires the testator to sign their Will while two witnesses must sign in their presence. All three people must be present at the same time. Blank Will kits fail to demonstrate these requirements because they do not provide enough explanation about them. The document becomes invalid because of three common mistakes which involve signing without witnesses or having witnesses sign at different times or using only one witness. Any of these errors makes the entire Will invalid.
19. Having beneficiaries serve as witnesses
The Wills Act 1837 Section 15 states that any beneficiary who witnesses the signing process will lose their gift. The Will itself remains valid, but the witnessing beneficiary receives nothing. The failure to establish a proper testator relationship with the witness stands as the most frequent and damaging error which blank Will kits produce. The situation could have been prevented through correct guidance.
20. Not telling anyone where the Will is stored
A Will document which exists in perfect form becomes useless when people cannot locate it or find its back-up storage location. The process of using a blank Will kit does not include any system for registration or backup copies or notification procedures. Your family may not discover the Will until after the estate has been partially or fully distributed under intestacy rules. An online Will service provides secure document storage and lets you inform your Executor about where to find your Will.
What is the alternative to a blank Will kit?
LegalWills.co.uk operates as an online Will service which solves all twenty problems. The service provides users with a structured questionnaire which verifies their answers while it applies the right legal system for their area and creates a professionally designed Will document. The service costs £49.95 and includes one year of unlimited updates which makes it slightly more expensive than a blank Will kit but it delivers expert guidance and legally correct documents that blank forms cannot provide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are blank Will kits legally valid in the UK?
You can create a legally valid Will by using a blank Will kit when you finish it properly but the kit does not provide sufficient instructions to help you achieve this. The high number of errors in DIY Will kits leads to Wills which become invalid and ambiguous while missing essential legal provisions.
Is it better to use an online Will service or a blank Will kit?
An online Will service is significantly safer. The system leads you through all document sections while it checks your input and uses the correct legal system to produce a properly formatted document. Online Will services receive an average consumer satisfaction score of 8.5 out of 10 which surpasses the 7.8 out of 10 score for traditional paper-based kits.
What happens if my Will is invalid?
The distribution of your estate will follow the intestacy rules which apply to England and Wales (or Scotland/Northern Ireland) when your Will becomes invalid. This means the law decides who inherits. The inheritance goes to your spouse or civil partner and children and other relatives who receive their predetermined shares no matter what you wanted.
Can I fix mistakes in a Will kit after signing?
You should never make handwritten changes to a signed Will. Instead, you can create a codicil (a formal amendment) or write an entirely new Will. Both options require proper signing and witnessing. An online Will service makes updates simple. You can log in and make changes at any time, then print and sign the updated document.
How much does a blank Will kit cost compared to an online Will?
You can purchase a blank Will kit for £3. £15 at stationery stores but free templates exist for online download. An online Will service like LegalWills.co.uk costs £49.95. The small additional cost provides legal guidance, validation, professional formatting, and the ability to update your Will. The system decreases the possibility of expensive mistakes which would otherwise occur during operations.
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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