Writing a will

@t3ap0t It might do. It depends if you had an anticipation of marriage clause inserted into the will when you wrote it. S18 Wills act 1837 says that a Will is revoked by a subsequent marriage unless there is a clause anticipating the marriage.
It would typically say something like -
'Contemplation of Marriage
I expect to marry my partner Miss XXX of 123 The Street, Anytown, AA1 1AA, and want this Will to stay in force after our marriage'

If that or something along those lines is in it then you are OK, if not you need to redo the Wills.

Can you refuse to accept something that has been gifted to you in a will and if so what happens to it?

An example might help.

I decide to buy a hippopotamus and then leave it to my sister in my will. When I die, for no explicable reason, my unreasonable and ungrateful sister doesn't want an adult male hippo in her house, can she refuse? If she does, who looks after Arnold (the hippo)?

Yes you can refuse a bequest (or part, eg "I'll have the zebra but not the hippo"). It goes into the residue to be distributed accordingly. Or you could write a deed of variation and pass it on to someone else.

My partner and I wrote wills a few years ago and then got married in the meantime, does this mean that our wills are invalid?

Unless they have been rescinded or replaced no they will still be valid but may need updating.

This is even more important of you get divorced for eg and re-marry as the old will is still the valid one so your ex may inherit everything much to the chagrin of your current spouse.

I try and keep our wills updated every 10 years or so - in effect, around every 15 years then.
I'm probably an outlier in having a will since I was about 21 (on account of advice from a relative I thought well of). Use the expressions of wish part heavily, as well as additional codices along the way - in particular when the children were in that 16-21 age range when if we died, things would be pretty sticky.

Both kinds of powers of attorney in place for as long as I can recall.

Can't recall if the charities are in proportion or amounts. I was executor for my mum's will, but appointed jointly with the solicitors, who did a power of stuff in getting everything sorted. I did the more mundane admin. stuff.

TBH TJ, if you feel like sending more cash to relatives in feeling it's not your cash, I'd crack on - you're the arbiter of taste and judgement really, and I'm sure Julie would have approved I suspect.

I decide to buy a hippopotamus and then leave it to my sister in my will.

Oh I like that idea.  What awkward bequests can one make?  this could be fun  Or conditions attached - you only get your inheritance if you turn up at my funeral drunk and naked  HMmmm  🙂

I decide to buy a hippopotamus and then leave it to my sister in my will.

This reflects the derivation of the term "white elephant". If somebody gave you a white elephant, as a sacred animal you couldn't refuse it, and equally, couldn't neglect it it, so it would cost you a fortune in feed and housing.

you only get your inheritance if you turn up at my funeral drunk and naked

I'm just relieved my mate never entertained such a suggestion 🤣 as an example of his "character" he used to live in a mobile home at the bottom of a railway embankment, so he bought a manikin, sat her in a tin bath on his roof and dressed her as he saw fit every month or so to entertain the commuters.

It's great that multiple people who know what they are talking about can answer questions correctly several times over and others will still pipe up with nonsense.

@cougar

I started getting wills drafted up for myself and my partner, then aborted the process as my money ran out. The fees were running to over a grand. Looking at the prices some people are quoting here, was I being ripped off?

Sounds expensive, I'd expect maybe £3-400 per will for a straight forward will. The reason it's more expensive than a DIY will is that the solicitor should give you both a proper 'interview' as to your wishes, and insert clauses accordingly.
They will ask questions that are not immediatley apparent, such as what if the remaining spouse re-marries etc.
A 'boiler plate' will won't cover that.

For example I'm unmarried and childless, so if I die without a will, I belive my remaining uncle would inherit the lot, sounds simple right?
But where does the inheritence go if he's dead? his closest of kin? his new wife or new wifes ofspring...
but in that case I might want to give something or much more to my niece on the other side of the family, who wouldn't automaticaly get anything.

Then if I marry without updating my will, my new wife would automatically get the lot upon my death, which may or may not be what I want, for example, she could re-marry in which case I'd want her to get nothing, and the estate go to my next of kin/ and/or named beneficeries, like friends, local cattery or whatever.

I started getting wills drafted up for myself and my partner, then aborted the process as my money ran out. The fees were running to over a grand. Looking at the prices some people are quoting here, was I being ripped off?

We paid something like £250 for a pair of reciprocal wills, very simple, no kids. In the event we both die, something like 20% to charity and the rest split evenly amongst all nephews / nieces. One meeting was all it took with the solicitor, he then drafted it, we read it and signed. Have them in a fire safe in the house.

Have them in a fire safe in the house

Is it a waterproof safe as well?

Sounds expensive, I’d expect maybe £3-400 per will for a straight forward will. The reason it’s more expensive than a DIY will is that the solicitor should give you both a proper ‘interview’ as to your wishes, and insert clauses accordingly.
They will ask questions that are not immediatley apparent, such as what if the remaining spouse re-marries etc.
A ‘boiler plate’ will won’t cover that.

Pretty much what happened.

I was like "well if I die everything goes to my partner, simples, any further questions?" But then they asked, what if she dies first, what then? Oh, I hadn't thought of that.

In her case, if I die first then it goes to her, then she dies and it goes to her kids. So I guess that answers my previous question too, if I outlive her then it should still go to them as I've no further beneficiaries unless I somehow outlive my mum.

But if she dies first then her will suddenly gets sticky. How does she protect both me and her kids' inheritance? In my mind, our house would default to me and then to her kids when I die, but then I'd be able to shack up with someone else in the future and go "you know what, I've changed my mind."

What if we both die together? What if there's a plane crash wiping out the lot of us?

Who's going to be the executors? Partner, obs.
And, if they're not alive or unwilling? [Other person].
And, if they're not alive or unwilling? [Other person].
And, if they're not alive or unwilling? Errrrrrr... 🤷‍♂️

That's what struck me about what I thought was a "simple" pair of wills. It's turtles all the way down.

It can get complicated is all i'm saying.

As sole beneficery of my late dad 'the estate' ended up paying about 8k in legal fees, circa 5k to the named executors in the will, a firm of solicitors. (to be fair they did offer to relinquish the executorship to me) but I decided to let it run...

As there was a half arsed contest from an estranged family member, so that cost the estate another 2K as I had to hire a litigation lawyer to basicaly tell them to sod off.

The value of the estate was less than 150K ... so not too bad.. I guess a lot depends on the value of the estate.

If you are joint tenants then when one partner dies the house isn't part of the estate in the first place, the survivor just owns the whole place automatically on death of the first.

Which is one reason why this form of ownership makes sense for most people (once in a committed relationship).