Kendal Wills

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Kendal Wills Need a Will, Trust or Lasting Powers of Attorney? Or help with your role as an Executor? Kendal Wills provide a friendly and affordable service in Cumbria.

We donate 5% to local charities from every invoice too! Welcome to Kendal Wills. We are now part of the Morecambe Bay Wills family, providing will writing services, trusts, Lasting Powers of Attorney and Executor Assistance in the Kendal and Cumbria area.

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Morecambe Bay Wills and Estates Limited was established in 2019 after founder Nicola Combe lost her husband to cancer. Our aim is to ensure that everyone has the right documents in place to give peace of mind and protection for family and assets. As fully trained, fully insured, Members of the Society of Will Writers, we offer peace of mind that you will get a comprehensive, service from our award winning team! Whether you need Wills, Powers of Attorney or Trusts, we are there to make it easy for you. And if you have lost someone and need help in your role as Executor, we can do that too. We offer appointments in our Lancaster office, in your home or via video for your convenience

Our prices are affordable (you can also pay in monthly payments) and discounts are available for those on low incomes and for those facing a diagnosis of cancer or dementia (both close to my heart).

5% from every invoices will be donated to 4 local charities to assist them in their ongoing work looking after local families. So far we have raised over £22,000 !!! We would love to help protect you, your family and your business. Call us for an initial friendly chat. we are here to help!

09/10/2026

Is there a local group you think deserves a little extra support?

The Morecambe Bay Wills Community Fund opened for nominations on 14th September 2026.

This year, we have put £15,000 into the fund, with grants of £250 and £500 available, and nominations are open all year round.

So far, we have received almost 50 nominations.

Reading about the work happening across our local area has been genuinely inspiring. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to tell us about a cause close to their heart.

Our first round of grants will be awarded at the end of October, so if you would like a group to be considered, please send your nomination in soon.

Anything received after this round is still very welcome. It will simply go forward to our next round in January.

Anyone can nominate. Groups just need to be local and have a bank account in their own name.

Nominate here:
https://www.morecambebaywills.co.uk/community-fund-nomination/

What happens when the Will is perfect, but nobody knows where the money is?A recent feature in Today's Wills & Probate s...
07/10/2026

What happens when the Will is perfect, but nobody knows where the money is?

A recent feature in Today's Wills & Probate shared the story of a daughter named as executor in her father's Will. The Will itself was fine. But she had no idea where he'd kept his savings or pensions, just a box of old letters and a laptop nobody could unlock. It took her around four months of letters and phone calls to piece it all together.

It's more common than you might think. Lost pension pots in the UK are now estimated at over £31 billion, and as more of us go paperless, the trail our families once followed simply isn't there.

A Will says who inherits. It doesn't always tell your executors what there is to inherit, or where to find it.

The answer is reassuringly simple. A plain list of who you bank with, your pension providers, investments and insurers. No figures needed, just names. It takes minutes to write, and it can save your family months.

When we meet, we'll talk this through with you alongside your Will, so the people you trust have everything they need. At home, by video or by telephone, with a fixed fee and no pressure.

If you'd like a friendly conversation, we're here.

01524 571032 | [email protected]

Source: Today's Wills & Probate, September 2026

Over half of UK adults don't have a Will.That's according to new research published in September by Today's Wills & Prob...
05/10/2026

Over half of UK adults don't have a Will.

That's according to new research published in September by Today's Wills & Probate.

The figures are eye-opening. 56% of UK adults have no Will in place, including 53% of those aged 50 to 64. 76% have made no plan for their digital assets, even though 91% of us now bank online.
And 47% believe they're covered by legal protections that simply don't exist.

We understand why. Talking about what happens when we die is never easy, and it's natural to put it off.

But the biggest cost is often the stress and uncertainty left for the people we love, at a time that's already hard enough.

With unused pensions expected to be included in estates for inheritance tax from April 2027, reviewing your pension nominations and keeping clear records is something your family will be grateful for. Even a simple note of your online accounts can make a real difference.

A Will doesn't need to be complicated. We'll come to you at home, or speak by video or telephone, with a fixed fee and no pressure, just a calm conversation about what matters to you.

If you'd like to talk things through, we're here.

01524 571032 | [email protected]

Source: Today's Wills & Probate, September 2026

02/10/2026

What does 5% of every Will and Lasting Power of Attorney look like?

In September, it looked like this.

Cerys, who looks after our clients across North Wales ( North Wales Wills ) as part of the Morecambe Bay Wills team, joined Disability Skiing Wales on the Llandudno Snowsports Centre ski slope to hand over their latest donation. With a little encouragement, she also took a turn in the adaptive ski chair herself.

Debs did the steering.
Cerys did the smiling.
Mostly.

Disability Skiing Wales is our nominated charity partner in North Wales. Every quarter, 5% of every Will and Lasting Power of Attorney invoice from North Wales Wills goes directly to them, and our Quarter Two donation came to £539.

That support helps people of all abilities get out on the slopes and share days like this one. The smiles in these photos say it far better than we can.

Thank you to everyone at Disability Skiing Wales for such a warm welcome, and to Cerys for being such a good sport.

And thank you to every client who has trusted us with their Will or Lasting Power of Attorney. You made this possible.

If you are in North Wales and would like to put your own plans in place, Cerys and the team can see you at home or by video.

01524 571032

30/09/2026

How long does Probate take?

It's the question that closes out our Probate series this week, and it's not one with a simple answer.

Once you apply for a Grant of Probate, the courts quote an average waiting time of around twelve weeks from application to certificate. For straightforward applications, we've genuinely seen this come back within a week or two. For more complex estates, particularly where information needs to go to HMRC, there's a minimum four-week review period on top.

But here's the part people often don't factor in: you can only submit the tax forms or the Probate application once all the information has been gathered. Getting property valuations, or details of stocks, shares and bank accounts, can take weeks or even months in itself. Only once that's all in hand can the application actually go in.

So while the twelve-week figure is a useful guide, the real timeline often depends on what happens before the application is even submitted.

That brings us to the end of this series — thank you for following along. If any of this has raised questions about your own situation, we're always happy to have a friendly, no-pressure conversation.

01524 571032 | [email protected]

28/09/2026

How much does Probate cost?

Following on from Friday's post about who applies for Probate, this is usually the very next question.

The honest answer is: it depends. If you handle the whole process yourself, there's no professional cost — just the court application fee, which currently stands at £526. That fee goes to His Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service to review the application and issue the certificate that gives you legal authority to act.

Beyond that, costs vary depending on how much help you need. Some estates that look simple at first turn out to be more involved once you're into them, and many people choose to bring in professional support for some or all of the process. That might mean handing the whole thing over to a solicitor, or using a service like our own Executor Assistance, where we help gather the information and apply for the Grant of Probate, leaving you to manage the rest.

So the cost of Probate can range from just the court fee, right through to including professional support — and it really depends on the estate and how much help feels right for you.

To finish the series, on Wednesday we'll answer the other question that comes up just as often: how long does it actually take?

01524 571032 | [email protected]

25/09/2026

Who applies for Probate?

As we touched on earlier this week, having a Will doesn't always avoid the need for Probate. So who's actually entitled to apply for it?

If there's a Will, the answer is simple: the Executors named in it are the ones with the legal authority to apply for a Grant of Probate.

If there isn't a Will, things work a little differently. With no Will, there are no Executors — so instead, someone applies for Letters of Administration. It's still a type of Probate, just under a different name, and it's applied for by an administrator rather than an Executor. There's a strict order of who can take on that role, usually starting with a spouse, then children. One important thing to note: this is not something an unmarried partner is able to do.

Whichever route applies, a Grant of Probate and Letters of Administration are both known collectively as a Grant of Representation — the legal authority to represent the person who's died and administer their estate.

Next week, we'll move on to the question we get asked more than almost any other: how much does Probate actually cost?

01524 571032 | [email protected]

23/09/2026

"I don't need Probate because I have a Will."

It's one of the biggest myths we come across, and it's an easy one to believe. Some people even tell us they're writing a Will specifically so they won't have to deal with Probate.

Here's the reality. A Will simply sets out your wishes and names the person with the authority to carry them out. It doesn't automatically mean that person can act without going through Probate.

Banks, financial institutions and insurance companies all have their own limits on what they'll release without a Grant of Probate. And if there's a property involved, you can't sell it or transfer it without one. So even with a clear, well-written Will covering all of that, your Executor may still need a Grant of Probate to actually do the job.

On Friday, we'll look at who's actually entitled to apply for that grant — because it isn't always as straightforward as people assume.

01524 571032 | [email protected]

21/09/2026

What is Probate?

It's a word we use all the time, but it's not always clear what it actually means.

Probate comes from a Latin word meaning "to prove." In practice, it's the process of proving that the Will someone made is genuinely theirs, so their Executors can go ahead and act on it.

Here's what that looks like in reality. As Executor, you send the Will to the court. They check it, confirm it's the right one, and issue you with a certificate. That certificate is what gives you the legal authority to do what the Will asks — drawing down money, selling a house, and passing everything on to the people it names.

Over the next couple of weeks, we're going to be answering some of the questions we hear most often about Probate — starting on Wednesday with one of the biggest myths out there: that having a Will means you don't need it.

01524 571032 | [email protected]

18/09/2026

Both my parents have died — what's important for me to know?

Losing both your parents is one of life's hardest moments. And when you're already grieving, being faced with paperwork and decisions is the last thing you want to deal with.

When the second parent in a couple passes away, things are often a little more complex than they were the first time round.

When the first parent dies, most of what they own usually passes straight to their spouse, and while Probate may still be needed, it tends to be more straightforward. On the second death, though, there's often a family home to deal with, joint bank accounts to close, and the full estate to settle — all at once, and all while you're grieving.

There's also something worth knowing early on. If the estate is larger and you may need to use both parents' inheritance tax allowances, that has to be claimed within two years of the second parent's death. After that, the transferable allowance simply expires. It's easy for this to slip by unnoticed at exactly the time when it matters most.

This is exactly why we're here — to help families through this with a clear head and a calm, practical approach, at a pace that works for you.

If you've recently lost both your parents and aren't sure where to start, we're happy to talk it through with you, no pressure at all.

01524 571032 | [email protected]

Address

The Gatehouse, White Cross Business Park, South Road
Lancaster
LA14XQ

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

01539 728020

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