How long is a will valid for?
A will is valid until revoked, which can happen in a number of ways. By destroying it, combined with your intention to cancel it. Physically destroying your will usually revokes it. Accidental destruction of a will doesn’t cancel it but there might be difficulty in proving that it applies. A will can be destroyed by another person, but it must be at the request of the testator. A will must be physically destroyed – simply crossing out the will or writing ‘revoked’ across may not be sufficient. Rubbing out or cutting off the signature of the testator or witnesses may be enough to revoke the will. If part of a will is destroyed, only that part of the will is revoked. If an entire will is to be revoked, any codicils attached to it may have to be revoked separately. If a will is known to have been kept in your possession, but can’t be found when you die, it will be presumed that it was destroyed by you unless there is proof that that wasn’t what you intended. By making a new will that revo
A Will is valid until revoked, which can happen in a number of ways: • By destroying it, combined with your intention to cancel it. Physically destroying your Will usually revokes it. Accidental destruction of a Will doesn’t cancel it but there might be difficulty in proving that it applies. A Will can be destroyed by another person, but it must be at the request of the testator. A Will must be physically destroyed – simply crossing out the Will or writing ‘revoked’ across may not be sufficient. Rubbing out or cutting off the signature of the testator or witnesses may be enough to revoke the Will. If part of a Will is destroyed, only that part of the Will is revoked. If an entire Will is to be revoked, any codicils attached to it may have to be revoked separately. If a Will is known to have been kept in your possession, but can’t be found when you die, it will be presumed that it was destroyed by you unless there is proof that that wasn’t what you intended. • By making a new Will that
A will is valid forever. Unless you change it, it’s revoked by a subsequent will normally. There are various other instances when a will can be revoked, for example, if you marry, a will made prior to marriage is revoked by the marriage. Similarly, if you are divorced, references to the other spouse in the will are deemed deleted; it’s as if the divorced spouse that might be mentioned in the will is dead.
