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- Wills and Powers of Attorney — Why People Need Them
- Land Transfer Tax in Ontario
- Tips for Home Buyers and Sellers
- Home Closing Costs
- Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) and Newly Built Home Purchases
- Do's and Don'ts When Selling a Residential Home
- What is a Notarized Travel Affidavit?
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Legal Quick Tips: Where Is Your Will?
Do you have a proper Will and proper Powers of Attorney? If not, you should contact my office. If you already have these documents, there are still some things you should consider:
Where are your Will and Powers of Attorney located?
After my clients sign their Will and Powers of Attorney, they leave my office with originals of the documents. I advise my clients to place their Wills and Powers of Attorney in an unlocked fireproof box in a safe place in their home.
Are your documents complete when signed?
Lawyers sometimes witness a Will and Powers of Attorney with clients and do not obtain a proper Affidavit of Witness which is required along with the documents. Families are left to obtain this document or the lawyer may charge additional fees to have an Affidavit of Witness completed later. Our office includes the Affidavit of Witness with the Will and Powers of Attorney. Our clients leave our office with what they have paid for: completed Wills and Powers of Attorney.
Does your lawyer have your Will and Powers of Attorney?
The lawyer keeping the original Will and Powers of Attorney of a client in a safe is an outdated practice. It is better for clients to have the documents in their possession rather than having a lawyer keep the documents in a safe. What happens if you move? What happens if the lawyer moves? In twenty or forty years, will your loved ones know who your lawyer was? Will they be able to locate the lawyer that has your Will? Your Will and Powers of Attorney are your property. Don't risk them being anywhere else other than in a fireproof box in your home. Our office appreciates and respects our clients enough to instruct them to take their documents home with them. Our clients and their families can choose to consult us when a loved one passes away.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Keep a completed Will and Powers of Attorney in a fireproof box in a safe place in your home. Review the documents every 5 years on your own and call your lawyer if you have questions or concerns.
Thanks for reading. We look forward to assisting you, your friends or family with any assistance you may require in Real Estate, Wills and Estates and Corporate Law. Please call or email our office if you would like a datasheet for Wills and Powers of Attorney.
Fraser Law now provides legal services to the outlying areas of Bowmanville, Whitby and Port Perry, in addition to our Oshawa area clients we currently serve.
Erik M. Fraser Law Office
270 Bond Street West,
Oshawa, ON L1J 0C4
Corner of Park & Bond
(905) 240-7500
efraser@erikfraserlaw.ca