Making a will essential for those with second homes?

Making a will may be even more important for individuals with a second home in a foreign country, as a new report shows probate laws can be extremely challenging in such instances.

A study by Title Research reveals free will writing advice could be essential in these circumstances, as common holiday home locations - including France and Spain - are described as "very demanding" countries from which to carry out probate processes, the Independent reports.

When making a will in the UK, individuals are free to designate benefactors for their assets, instructions to which executors of estates must adhere.

However, foreign countries can have differing systems, with "forced heirship" - whereby a blood relative is obliged to receive a proportion of the belongings - being one of the most common problems.

And making a will could have more surprising benefits, as a recent probate process uncovered a Chinese vase, originally believed to be worthless, which later sold at auction for more than £50 million.

Published by Rose Orlik