When and How to Update Your Will

The general advice is to review your will every three to five years, or whenever a significant life event occurs. The reason isn't bureaucratic caution — it's that certain life events have specific legal consequences for existing wills that most people don't realise until it's too late.

Events That Require an Update

Marriage

This is the most critical. Under the Wills Act 1837, marriage automatically and completely revokes any existing will. From the date of the wedding, you are legally intestate — regardless of how recently you made your previous will. The only exception is where the will was expressly made "in contemplation of" that specific marriage. If you marry, you must make a new will immediately.

Divorce

Divorce does not revoke a will, but it does revoke any gifts to a former spouse and removes their appointment as executor — treating them as if they had died on the date the decree absolute was issued. If your ex-spouse was the only named executor or beneficiary, this can create significant problems. A new will is strongly advisable after any divorce.

New Children or Grandchildren

If you have a new child after making your will, they will not automatically be included. Your existing will applies to the situation as it existed when it was made. A new child should always prompt a review — and if guardianship provisions need updating, a new will is the safest route.

Death of a Beneficiary or Executor

If a named beneficiary predeceases you and you have no substitute named, their gift may lapse and fall into the residuary estate — or, if they were your only beneficiary, cause partial intestacy. Similarly, if your named executor dies, their role falls away. Always name substitutes, and update your will if circumstances change.

Significant Change in Assets

If you acquire significant new assets — a property, an inheritance, a business interest — your existing will may not address them clearly. Reviewing and updating ensures nothing falls through the gaps.

Second Marriage and Blended Families

Remarriage creates some of the most complex estate planning situations. Your new marriage revokes your previous will entirely — but it does not revoke the rights of children from a previous relationship. Without a carefully structured new will, you risk either your new spouse inheriting at the expense of your children, or your children inheriting in a way that leaves your new partner financially exposed. A new will after remarriage is not optional — it is the only way to balance the competing interests of everyone who matters to you.

What Is a Codicil — and When Should You Use One?

A codicil is a formal legal amendment to an existing will. It must be signed and witnessed with exactly the same formality as the original will — two independent witnesses, present simultaneously — and it operates alongside the original document rather than replacing it.

Codicils are appropriate for minor, isolated changes: correcting a name, updating an address, or swapping a substitute executor. For anything more substantial — adding a beneficiary, changing the residuary distribution, updating after marriage or divorce — a new will is always the cleaner and safer route. A will and codicil read together creates scope for ambiguity, and ambiguity is what leads to disputes.

Crossing things out, writing in margins, or making informal changes to a signed will has no legal effect whatsoever — and can create confusion that invites a challenge. Always use the proper process. GOV.UK's will writing guidance covers the basic requirements clearly.

How to Update Your Wills Assured Will

Updating through Wills Assured is straightforward — simply return to the questionnaire, amend your responses, and generate a new document. The new will includes a revocation clause that expressly cancels all previous wills and codicils, so there is no risk of confusion between old and new documents. Store the new original securely and inform your executor of the change.