Click the last will and testament?

A will in just a few clicks

Online services promise to create an individual will in just a few minutes. All users have to do is click through a questionnaire and receive a finished sample will at the end. However, they should not lose sight of the most important thing: "In order for the will to be effective, it is not enough to print out the document and sign it. If it is not a notarized will, everything must be written down by hand and then signed," explains notary assessor Martin Thelen, press spokesman for the Federal Chamber of Notaries.

However, simply copying the ejected sample also has its pitfalls. "This may be an option for very simple cases. However, people seeking legal advice often don't even know how complex their case is and where pitfalls can lurk," reports Martin Thelen. "They often get a rude awakening later on."

One size fits all - not at the last will and testament!

A consultation is not only worthwhile for patchwork families, large estates or connections abroad. Even the classic Berlin will between spouses raises questions that can hardly be covered by standard forms. The supposedly simple question of whether and to what extent one spouse can change the will after the death of the other, e.g. because he or she has a dispute with the children, is just one example of many. Due to careless wording, spouses are often irrevocably bound to the will after the death of their partner and cannot react to changes. Online services are also unable to explain legal terminology to the same extent and question whether what has been clicked on really corresponds to what was intended. "Pre- and post-inheritance succession, for example, can sound very appealing at first. However, the consequences it can have, especially if real estate is part of the inheritance, are usually not clear to those involved," says Thelen.

Advice included

Automatically generated wills can give testators an initial impression of the questions they should think about. However, the last will and testament is a highly individual matter. It is therefore always advisable to consult a notary before accepting a model will. If the will is later notarized, there are no additional costs for the consultation. And what many people don't know: As a result, online wills can actually be more expensive and time-consuming than a notarized will. This is because after death, the heirs need a certificate of inheritance, which can be costly and time-consuming. However, a clear notarized will replaces the certificate of inheritance, even for both deaths in the case of spouses. In many cases, a notarized will is cheaper than a certificate of inheritance.

You can find further press releases from the media association on all topics related to the notary's office in the Press portal of the media association of the chambers of notaries.