{"id":377961,"date":"2026-04-06T14:12:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T14:12:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/377961\/"},"modified":"2026-04-06T14:12:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T14:12:08","slug":"will-disputes-on-the-rise-as-families-fight-over-pricier-estates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/377961\/","title":{"rendered":"Will disputes on the rise as families fight over pricier estates"},"content":{"rendered":"

Inheritance disputes increased by 12 per cent in just the last year as legal experts blamed rising property prices and more \u201ccomplex family dynamics\u201d for the rise. More than 11,500 applications to halt the administration of estates were filed last year as more families become embroiled in rows over wills.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Data obtained by TWM Solicitors from the Ministry of Justice showed that applications for \u201ccaveats\u201d, which temporarily prevent a grant of probate from being issued, rose from 10,313 to 11,589. Probate caveats allow an individual to block the administration of an estate for six months while concerns about a will or the handling of an estate are investigated.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn many parts of the UK even relatively modest estates can now be worth \u00a3500,000 to \u00a31 million simply because they include a family home,\u201d said Stuart Downey, a lawyer at TWM Solicitors.<\/p>\n

He added that \u201cas the value of estates rises, so too does the potential for disputes between family members<\/a>. Increasingly, people factor expected inheritances into their long-term financial planning. When the reality falls short of expectations, it can quickly lead to disagreements and legal challenges\u201d.<\/p>\n

Recent prominent cases have included the widow of a renowned tattoo artist \u2014 who counted the Sex Pistols among his clients \u2014 winning a dispute over his will with his \u201csecret\u201d daughter. Also last year a City financier was ordered to pay \u00a31 million in legal fees after losing an inheritance battle with his mother in which he claimed to have suffered from her \u201cold-fashioned\u201d design tastes. After the death of his father, Andrew Grijns, who was described in court as being \u201cself-absorbed\u201d, and his 80-year-old mother fell into a bitter dispute over the multimillion-pound estate.<\/p>\n

Experts have said that an increase in so-called blended families involving stepchildren, half-siblings and second marriages also contributed to a greater number of disputes.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is becoming more common to see children from different relationships<\/a> taking action against each other when they feel they have been treated unfairly or overlooked in a will,\u201d Downey said.<\/p>\n

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Also contributing to the rise in disputes is the ease with which a probate caveat can be launched \u2014 the application costs only \u00a33 and there are relatively few practical barriers to bringing an initial block on the distribution of an estate.<\/p>\n

Experts noted that individuals had also applied for probate caveats when they have concerns about either the validity of a will or the suitability of an executor of an estate and want that person removed.<\/p>\n

\u201cChallenges frequently arise where there are concerns about whether someone had the mental capacity to make or change their will, particularly where dementia or other cognitive conditions are involved,\u201d Downey added. \u201cFamilies are also increasingly alert to the possibility that vulnerable individuals may have been pressured into altering their wishes.\u201d<\/p>\n

The lawyer argued that the 12 per cent rise in probate caveats was \u201ca clear warning sign that more grieving families are finding themselves in dispute at what is already a difficult time\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Inheritance disputes increased by 12 per cent in just the last year as legal experts blamed rising property…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":377962,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[114,268,85,46,266,267],"class_list":{"0":"post-377961","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-personal-finance","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-finance","10":"tag-il","11":"tag-israel","12":"tag-personal-finance","13":"tag-personalfinance"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/377961","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=377961"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/377961\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/377962"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=377961"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=377961"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=377961"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}