DIY will or solicitor: which do you need?
Plenty of people genuinely do not need a solicitor. Here is how to tell whether you are one of them.
The short answer
- A DIY or online will is fine for a simple estate: one home, straightforward family, everything under the tax allowances, no vulnerable beneficiaries.
- Use a solicitor or STEP-qualified adviser if there is a second marriage, stepchildren, a business, foreign property, a trust, care-fee planning, or a likely challenge.
- Price difference is small — £90 online against £150–£400 — but the cost of getting it wrong is measured in tens of thousands.
- "Will writer" is not a protected title. Check regulation: SRA, CLC, STEP or IPW.
- Whichever route you take, the will is only valid if properly signed and witnessed.
What's on this page
The three routes compared#
| DIY kit | Online service | Solicitor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | £10–£30 | From £90 | £150–£400 |
| Advice included | None | Limited; some offer a check | Yes, tailored |
| Handles complexity | No | Rarely | Yes |
| Recourse if wrong | None | Varies — check the terms | Regulated, insured, complaints route |
| Evidence if challenged | None | Little | Attendance notes, capacity assessment |
| Typical turnaround | Same day | Days | 1–3 weeks |
When DIY or online is genuinely fine#
All of the following should be true:
- You are single, or in a first marriage with children only from that relationship;
- You want a simple outcome: everything to your partner, then split equally between the children;
- Your estate is comfortably under the inheritance tax allowances;
- You own no business, farmland or overseas property;
- No beneficiary is under 18, disabled, or receiving means-tested benefits;
- Nobody is likely to contest it.
If that describes you, a good online will is a sensible purchase and there is no shame in it. How online wills work.
When you should pay for a professional#
Second marriages and blended families#
The most common reason DIY wills cause damage. Leave everything to a new spouse outright and their will decides where it eventually goes. Your children from a first marriage can end up with nothing entirely lawfully. A life interest trust prevents it — and no DIY kit will draft one.
Care-fee planning#
A property protection trust requires the property to be held as tenants in common and the wills to be drafted correctly. Get either part wrong and the protection is worth nothing. It typically involves severing a joint tenancy first — a step no template prompts you to take.
Estates over the allowances#
Around and above £1,000,000 for a couple, the drafting decisions have direct tax consequences. The £2,000,000 taper on the residence nil-rate band is particularly easy to walk into by accident.
Businesses, farms and foreign assets#
Business and agricultural property reliefs have detailed qualifying conditions, and a badly drafted will can lose them. Foreign property may be subject to forced heirship rules that override an English will entirely.
Vulnerable beneficiaries#
Leaving a lump sum to someone on means-tested benefits can remove their entitlement. A discretionary or disabled person's trust avoids that — and needs drafting.
Likely challenges#
If you are leaving out someone who might expect to inherit, a solicitor's attendance notes and contemporaneous assessment of your capacity are what defend the will later. A template gives a court nothing to look at.
How to check who you are dealing with#
Anyone can call themselves a will writer in England & Wales without qualifications, insurance or regulation. Before instructing anyone, check one of these:
- SRA — solicitors, on the Law Society's Find a Solicitor register;
- CLC — licensed conveyancers and probate practitioners;
- STEP — the specialist qualification for trusts and estates (look for "TEP");
- IPW — Institute of Professional Willwriters, a voluntary code approved by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute.
Verify on the register itself, not on the badge shown on their website.
The middle ground#
You do not have to choose between £15 and £400. Options in between:
- An online service with a solicitor review included;
- A fixed-fee will from a high-street firm — many publish prices;
- Free Wills Month or Will Aid, where a solicitor writes a simple will free or for a charity donation;
- A one-hour paid consultation to check a will you drafted yourself.
Want this checked for your own situation?
A regulated adviser can tell you in one conversation whether this applies to you. We can introduce you free of charge.
Free introduction · Regulated advisers only · We may be paid a referral fee, which never affects our guidance.
Frequently asked questions
Is a DIY will legally binding?
Yes, if it is in writing, signed by you, and witnessed by two people who are not beneficiaries. The legal formalities do not care who drafted it. What DIY wills lack is drafting quality — most disputes involve ambiguous wording, missing residue clauses, or gifts of assets that no longer exist.
What is the most common mistake in home-made wills?
Using a beneficiary or their spouse as a witness, which voids that gift. Close behind: failing to deal with the residue, so part of the estate falls into intestacy; not saying what happens if a beneficiary dies first; and gifting a specifically named asset that has since been sold.
Can a solicitor check a will I wrote myself?
Yes, and many will review one for a modest fixed fee. It is a sensible compromise if your circumstances are simple but you want reassurance. Be aware that a review of your wording is not the same as advice on whether the structure suits your situation.
Are online will services regulated?
It depends on the provider. Some are run by SRA-regulated firms, some by IPW members, and some by neither. Check before you buy — regulation determines what recourse you or your family have if something goes wrong, and whether the provider carries professional indemnity insurance.
This is general information, not legal advice. Everyone's situation is different — speak to a qualified adviser before acting. KeepTheLot is an independent information service covering England & Wales. We are not a law firm.
Part of our guide to wills.