Why Wills and LPAs matter earlier than you think: An advisory guide for younger adults 

There is a point in early adulthood where life stops feeling purely personal and starts becoming legally connected to other people. It might happen when you move in with a partner, take on a joint tenancy, adopt a pet, begin saving seriously, or become responsible for someone else in your family. It might happen when you buy your first home, start a business, or become a parent. Often, it does not arrive with a big announcement. It simply becomes true in the background. 

For many people, that shift happens much earlier than they expect. And that is exactly why Wills and Lasting Powers of Attorney are worth dealing with sooner rather than later. Because if something happens suddenly, the paperwork you never got round to can become the thing that causes the most stress. 

This is not about being pessimistic. It is about recognising that when there is no plan in place, the law does not step in with flexibility. It applies fixed rules, whether or not those rules suit your situation. 

Why younger adults delay, and why that can be a risk 

It is very common for people in their twenties and thirties to assume they can come back to this later. They may feel they do not own enough yet, or that their lives are still changing too quickly to write things down formally. Others simply do not want to think about it, especially when they feel healthy and busy and are focused on building their future. 

Most people do not delay because they disagree with the idea. They delay because it never feels urgent, until it suddenly is. The difficulty is that when something unexpected happens, the people closest to you may find themselves dealing not only with emotional shock, but also with immediate practical questions. Who is dealing with the bank account? Who can speak to a mortgage provider? Who has authority to make decisions? Who is legally entitled to what? It is often only at that point that people realise how exposed they are. 

A Will is not just for later life 

A Will is often treated as something you sort out once you own property or reach a certain age. In reality, it is about control. It allows you to decide who should inherit, who should deal with the administration, and how your affairs should be handled. 

If you do not have a Will, your estate is distributed under the intestacy rules. Those rules are fixed, and they do not adapt to modern relationships, informal family arrangements, or what you might assume is “obvious”. They may not reflect what you would have wanted, and they do not leave room for a family simply agreeing to do things differently. 

In practice, this can mean the people closest to you cannot necessarily deal with funeral costs, access shared savings, or manage household bills without formal authority in place. It can also mean your estate does not go where you thought it would. 

Cohabiting couples and the shared home: where the law can be unforgiving 

For younger adults, one of the biggest legal blind spots is cohabitation. Living together can feel like a permanent, committed relationship in every way that matters. You share a home, share costs, and often plan for the future together. But legally, cohabitation does not carry the same protection as marriage or civil partnership. 

If you die without a Will and you are not married or in a civil partnership, your partner has no automatic right to inherit under intestacy rules. In plain terms, that can mean your partner receives nothing at all, even if you have been together for many years. For some people, this is the first time they realise the law can treat a long-term partner as a legal stranger when it comes to inheritance. 

That can create immediate financial pressure. It can also create a sense of injustice at exactly the moment your partner is dealing with grief. And it can become even more serious where the home you share is involved. 

People often assume the house will simply pass to the surviving partner. Sometimes that does happen, depending on how the property is owned. But it is not guaranteed. If your share of the property forms part of your estate and there is no Will, that share may pass under intestacy to your legal relatives instead. At that stage, the issue is not simply “who inherits”. It is whether the person still living in the home can stay there, whether they can afford to buy out the share, and what happens if there are disagreements about next steps. 

Even where nobody intends conflict, the reality can be messy. People can have different expectations, different financial pressures, and different understandings of what the law allows. The outcome can be delay, uncertainty and strain in the middle of what is already a difficult situation. 

A Will is often the simplest way to remove that uncertainty. It allows you to set out your intentions clearly and put the person you live with in a position of greater security. 

If you have children, a Will is about far more than money 

For parents, making a Will is rarely just a financial exercise. It is part of taking responsibility for what would happen if you were not there to make decisions yourself. Most parents do not want to imagine that situation, but planning is not about expecting the worst. It is about protecting your children from uncertainty. 

A Will can allow you to record who you would want to act as guardians for your children. While no document can remove the emotional impact of that situation, it can provide clear guidance to the people who would otherwise be left trying to work out what you would have wanted under intense pressure. 

A Will can also help you put a structure in place for how money should be managed if children inherit while still young. Without planning, families can sometimes find themselves dealing with further legal and administrative steps at an already difficult time, particularly if money needs to be accessed for day-to-day stability, school-related costs, or practical arrangements for the children. 

For many parents, this is one of the strongest reasons to make a Will sooner rather than later. It is not a box-ticking exercise. It is a way of putting clarity in place while you have the time and headspace to do it properly. 

Why an LPA can matter even more than a Will in your 20s and 30s 

A Will only comes into effect when you die. An LPA protects you while you are still alive. 

A Lasting Power of Attorney gives someone you trust the ability to make decisions on your behalf if you become unable to make those decisions yourself. That might happen because of illness, an accident, or a serious period of mental health difficulty. It might be temporary or longer term. Either way, everyday life does not stop. Bills still need to be paid. Rent and mortgage payments still fall due. Important paperwork still needs dealing with. And the ability to speak to banks or institutions can become crucial very quickly. 

Without an LPA in place, loved ones cannot simply contact organisations and take over on your behalf. Banks and service providers generally need formal authority before they can discuss accounts or allow decisions to be made. That can mean someone cannot access funds to keep a roof over your head, or deal with a salary, benefits or housing issue at the time it needs addressing. 

In more serious situations, families may have to apply to the Court of Protection for a deputyship order. This process can take time, it can be costly, and it can feel frustratingly formal, especially when the goal is simply to keep life running and act in someone’s best interests. Even where everyone agrees about what the person would want, formal authority may still be needed before anything meaningful can happen. 

Two LPAs, and why they matter in real life 

There are two types of Lasting Power of Attorney, and they do different jobs. 

A property and financial affairs LPA covers the practical financial side of life, such as accessing bank accounts, paying bills, dealing with rent or mortgage payments, managing direct debits, handling income, and communicating with organisations that will not deal with anyone without formal authority. 

A health and welfare LPA relates to care and medical decisions. It can include where you live, what support you receive, and choices around treatment if you cannot communicate your wishes. For many people, this is the document that provides the greatest reassurance, because it means the person they trust the most is legally able to advocate for them if decisions have to be made quickly. 

This is also why “next of kin” is not enough. Many people assume that being someone’s next of kin gives them the right to make decisions on their behalf, but in reality it is often an informal label rather than a legal power. If you want someone to be able to act for you, particularly where money or medical treatment is involved, an LPA is what gives them that authority. 

A practical step now that prevents avoidable problems later 

For younger adults, making a Will and putting LPAs in place is rarely about expecting something to go wrong. It is about removing uncertainty and preventing avoidable problems later. It can protect a partner who would otherwise have no legal status. It can reduce the risk of disputes and delays around a shared home. It can also make it far easier for someone to step in and keep life running if you are unwell and unable to manage things yourself. 

These documents can also be reviewed and updated as life changes. Putting something in place now does not mean it can never change. It simply means you are not starting from nothing if the unexpected happens. 

If you would like advice about making a Will or putting Lasting Powers of Attorney in place, our team can help you understand your options and put the right safeguards in place for your circumstances.