Can I include French Property in UK Will?

[Explorer450]

My Other Half

and I have been the proud owners of our holiday home in France since March this

year. We’re married but have no children and for us there’s no possibility of

any children arriving in the future. So, when we bought our French house we

asked our Notaire to include a ‘Tontine’ clause so that should either of us die

the surviving partner would inherit the deceased’s share of the property.

 

But, what

then happens to the property and money held in French bank accounts when the

surviving partner dies? Or, what happens if both die at the same time, in an

accident for example?

 

We have wills

in the UK where we’re named as each other’s benefactors and we’ve specified

what we want to happen to our property and other assets in the UK should we

both die at the same time or after the last surviving partner dies. Can we

include our wishes for what we want to happen to our French property in this UK

will (as in the French property just becomes part of our overall estate), or do we need to have a separate will for this drawn up in France?

 

Not the cheeriest of topics I know, but any

advice would be gratefully received.

[Debra]

I believe you can but it's better to have a mirror will in both countries, that don't contradict each other, to make sure there are no arguments from either country.

[Pickles]

As Debra says, you CAN deal with French property through a UK will, but it will save a lot of hassle if you do as she suggests (eg translation fees etc), and have a UK will that deals with everything except the French property (and specifically excludes the French property), and a French will which deals solely with the French property. The notaire that dealt with our purchase registered holographic wills for us for free. These are the most basic type of will, handwritten and must not be witnessed.