Jamie Murray
Jamie Murray
2023-01-28
Quality fast and reliable service with a cracking bunch of lads definitely recommended
Bill Mitchell
Bill Mitchell
2021-09-14
Contracted this company to clear the flat of my deceased mother. Two young guys cleared EVERYTHING out of the rented property, including furniture, carpets, ornaments, white goods and food/household products, politely, efficiently, and respectfully. Excellent service.
Charles winter
Charles winter
2021-05-21
The guys from Northern House Clearance have just cleared a house for me in Scotland. The house was packed not only with a lifetimes worth of memories, but all the clutter that goes with it. Within 2 days it was emptied down to the floorboards. A great job from a good team of lads. Highly recommended.
Graeme hatton
Graeme hatton
2021-02-24
An excellent 5 star service. Firstly the compassion shown due to the circumstances which resulted in having to use their services, not just on the phone but by the team who arrived, on time, to perform the job. Above all a friendly attitude goes a long way in stressful times. Professional from the start to the end of the day and due to the amount of clutter a second day was needed. I could not believe how much was cleared in just one day, it was as if the clutter had it's own clutter to clear. Hope that I never need to use them again, but if I have to clear another property they will be the only people that I call. Highly recommend them. G.Hatton. Cheshire.
Lorna Hamilton
Lorna Hamilton
2021-02-05
Fantastic service. Highly recommend. The team was so helpful.
Richard Foster
Richard Foster
2020-11-26
The guys from Northern house clearing cleared my deceased brothers house which was in a state. They were very discrete and great guys very understanding at such a sad time. Great job guys thank you.
Xiu Yun Chen
Xiu Yun Chen
2020-11-25
This is a good company would highly recommend these guys. Very efficent and helpful.
Laura
Laura
2020-11-05
Highly recommended. From my initial enquiry I found them to be efficient and professional and was given an immediate quote. On the day the guys arrived promptly and were friendly, helpful and thorough. I would not hesitate to use this company again and I would recommend to others. I felt in good hands and I, m very happy with the service I received.
Ruth Lawrence
Ruth Lawrence
2020-08-22
The team arrived bang on time and began work immediately. They continued for five solid days and completed the entire clearance of my late uncles house, which was a case of extreme hoarding over many decades. They even removed carpets, curtains and swept up so the house was ready for sale. They were exeptionally hard working, polite and charged a reasonable price for this incredibly difficult job. Terrific service, absolutely recommended.
Online Antique Appraisals And Valuation

For those NOT requiring a full house contents valuations,
we suggest you use The Antique Appraisal Company.

All valuations are conducted in accordance with HMRC guidelines and fully guaranteed against rejection.

Start Your Probate Valuation Now - Online Probate Valuations

Probate Valuation Of Chattels: Bequests That Fail To Take Effect

The effect of divorce or annulment of marriage or annulment of civil partnership

Dissolution of marriage or civil partnership does not invalidate a will, but a decree absolute (not a decree nisi), makes any bequest in a will to the spouse or civil partner take effect as if the former spouse or partner had died on the date the decree becomes absolute, leaving bequests in the remainder of the will valid. Usually the bequest will become part of the residue of the estate and go to the residuary beneficiaries, but if the bequest is of the entire estate or of a share of the residue of the estate, it will be treated as not having been disposed of by the will and will be inherited according to the laws of intestacy.

Similarly, the provisions in a will conferring powers of appointment on a spouse or partner (that is, power for him to appoint or choose a beneficiary for part of an estate) or appointing him as an executor or trustee, take effect after a decree of dissolution of marriage or civil partnership as if the former spouse or civil partner had died on the date the decree became absolute.

Unless a contrary intention is apparent from the will, an appointment of a spouse or civil partner as a guardian of an underage child is revoked by a decree absolute, annulment or dissolution which is either made in a court in England or Wales or would be recognised by such a court.

Bequests to the witness to a will or witness’s spouse or civil partner

Two independent witnesses to the testator’s signature to a will are required to make a will or codicil valid, and if a beneficiary or the beneficiary’s spouse or civil partner witnesses the will or codicil, the intended beneficiary will lose the bequest made by the document unless the offending witness’s signature can be regarded as superfluous because there are two other interested witnesses.

If there are not two other disinterested witnesses, although the person who is named in a will as the beneficiary will lose the bequest the remainder of the will will not be affected.

Bequests contrary to public duty

Conditions attached to gifts and gifts themselves may be void and of no effect because they are contrary to the public policy of the moment. Exactly what is considered to be contrary to public policy changes from time to time and if there is any doubt advice from a lawyer should be sought. A few general principles can be stated.

Conditions that weaken the family unit or the institution of marriage are contrary to public policy, as a conditions that interfere with the choice of one’s religion. Therefore a condition attached to a gift to a son that is dependent upon the son leaving his wife or converting to Catholicism will not take effect because both conditions are void being contrary to public policy.

Conditions contrary to the inherent legal nature of property, for example, that is shall not be sold or shall be boarded up and not used for a long specified time, are contrary to public policy.

A provision in a will that a bequest is to be forfeited if the beneficiary challenges the will is not considered to be contrary to public policy, but the bequest might fail to take effect for reasons of uncertainty, unless it is carefully drafted.

If the condition upon which the bequest is given is merely prohibited by law or public policy, the condition will be void, but if the bequest is considered to be essentially evil, e.g. a bequest conditional upon murdering someone, the bequest will fail completely.

If the intention is that the gift shall only take effect if the condition is fulfilled (that is, the condition is what is known as condition precedent) and the condition is void, the gift will fail completely, but if the intention is that the gift shall take effect but cease if the condition is fulfilled, that is, the condition is what is known as condition subsequent, the gift takes free from the void condition. An example of  a gift with a condition precedent is a gift to a son if he successfully completes the university course he is taking, and an example of a condition subsequent is a gift to him, but if he fails the course, then to the testator’s daughter, although both of these conditions are valid ones.

Gifts which break the rules against perpetuities and accumulations

The law contains very complex rules which prevent the income from being accumulated and added to the capital of the bequest by the personal representatives for an excessive period, rather than distributed to the beneficiary, and which prevent bequests being made to beneficiaries whose identity may not be ascertained for an excessively long time in the future. These rules are known as the rules against perpetuities and accumulations and were substantially changed by the Perpetuities and Accumulations Act 2009 in relation to wills made after, but not wills made before, 6th of April 2010. If a bequest has been made and the identity of all beneficiaries entitled to it might not be ascertained within twenty-one years of the testator’s death, for example, a gift ‘to my grandchildren whether born before or after my death’, be sure to consult a solicitor about the wording and its legal effect. Similarly if the income from a bequest is to be accumulated for a period which could exceed twenty-one years, consult a solicitor.

Similar Posts:

Online Antique Appraisals And Valuation

For those NOT requiring a full house contents valuations,
we suggest you use The Antique Appraisal Company.

All valuations are conducted in accordance with HMRC guidelines and fully guaranteed against rejection.

Start Your Probate Valuation Now - Online Probate Valuations