With an online will, users simply have to click through a questionnaire and at the end they receive a finished sample will.

Pitfalls of formal requirements and complexity

But you shouldn't lose sight of the most important thing:

“For the will to be effective, it is not enough to print out the document and sign it. If it is not a notarial will, everything must be written down by hand and then signed,”

explains notary Michael Uerlings, press spokesman for the Rhenish Chamber of Notaries. However, simply copying the pattern thrown out also has its pitfalls.

“This may be an option for very simple cases. Often, those seeking legal advice do not even know how complex their case is and where the pitfalls can lurk,” reports notary Uerlings from the consulting practice. “The rude awakening often comes later.”

One size fits all – not when it comes to your last will!

A consultation is not only worthwhile if you have patchwork families, large assets or connections abroad. Even the classic Berlin will between married couples raises questions that can hardly be reflected in standard forms. The seemingly simple question of whether and, if so, to what extent a spouse can change the will after the other's death, for example because he or she has a falling out with the children, is just one example of many. Due to careless wording, spouses are often irrevocably bound to the will after the death of their partner and are unable to react to changes. The online services are also unable to provide the same level of information about legal terms and question whether what is clicked on really corresponds to what was intended.

“A pre- and post-inheritance, for example, can sound very appealing at first. But what consequences it can have, especially when real estate is part of the inheritance, is usually not clear to those involved,” says notary Uerlings.

Advice included

Automatically created wills can give testators a first impression of the questions they should think about. However, the last will is a highly individual matter. Before accepting a sample will, it is always advisable to have a consultation with a notary. If the will is notarized later, there are no additional costs for the consultation. And what many people don't know is that online wills can actually be more expensive and time-consuming than a notarial will. After death, the heirs need a certificate of inheritance, which can be costly and time-consuming. However, a clear notarial will replaces the certificate of inheritance, even for both deaths in the case of spouses. In many cases, a notarized will is cheaper than a certificate of inheritance.

Conclusion

Online wills may be easy to create, but they do not replace professional advice from a notary. Important: a will must be completely handwritten. Regulating an estate is a highly individual matter and must think through and reflect very different family constellations. A clear notarial will replaces the certificate of inheritance. An online will can sometimes be more expensive and time-consuming than a will written by a notary.

This might also be of interest: Fake shops: Be careful when you buy bicycles on the internet

Source: Hamburg Chamber of Notaries


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