Trust Planning
Trust planning for London families — protective property trusts, discretionary trusts, and life interest trusts. Expert advice on using trusts to protect assets, reduce inheritance tax, and ensure your estate reaches the right people.
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Up to 3 vetted estate planning specialists will contact you within 24 hours
Trust Planning: What You Need to Know
Trusts are legal arrangements that hold assets for the benefit of named or described beneficiaries, managed by trustees. In estate planning, trusts serve several important purposes: protecting assets from care fee means testing, reducing inheritance tax exposure, controlling how and when beneficiaries receive assets, and protecting vulnerable or minor beneficiaries.
London property values mean that many families now have estates that exceed the inheritance tax threshold. Proper trust planning — whether through protective property trusts incorporated into wills, or standalone discretionary trusts — can significantly reduce the tax burden on your estate and ensure more of what you have worked for passes to your family.
Trust planning requires genuinely specialist advice. The wrong trust structure can create unintended tax consequences, complicate estate administration, or fail to achieve its intended purpose. Our matched trust planning specialists explain your options clearly, model the financial impact, and recommend solutions that are genuinely appropriate for your situation.
Benefits of Trust Planning
Care Fee Asset Protection
A protective property trust (or life interest trust) in your will can protect your share of the family home from being included in the surviving spouse's assets for care fee means testing after you die. This can preserve significant value for your children or other intended beneficiaries.
Inheritance Tax Mitigation
Various trust structures can reduce the inheritance tax payable on your estate. Nil-rate band trusts, charitable trusts, and strategic use of exemptions and reliefs can significantly reduce the IHT burden on larger London estates.
Control Over Distribution
Discretionary trusts allow trustees to decide who receives assets, how much, and when — giving flexibility to respond to changing family circumstances. This is particularly valuable for protecting assets from a beneficiary's divorce, creditors, or financial vulnerability.
Protection for Vulnerable Beneficiaries
Trusts can be structured to protect beneficiaries who are minors, have mental health difficulties, or receive means-tested benefits. A bare trust for a minor or a disabled persons trust can provide significant long-term protection for vulnerable family members.
Find Trust Planning Professionals
Specialists for trust planning covering 83 towns and areas.
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Is Trust Planning Right for You?
Trust planning is particularly valuable for:
- Couples with children who want to protect the family home from care fee means testing after the first death
- Those with estates exceeding the nil-rate band (£325,000 per person) who want to reduce their IHT exposure
- Parents wanting to control how and when children or grandchildren receive inheritances
- Those with vulnerable beneficiaries — minors, those with mental health difficulties, or those receiving means-tested benefits
- Business owners with significant business property that needs to be handled differently from personal assets
Our matched estate planning specialists will review your brief and requirements, then provide a clear quote and timeline before any work begins.
How the Process Works
Estate and Objectives Review
Your specialist reviews your assets, family circumstances, and planning objectives. This shapes which trust structures are relevant to your situation and identifies potential risks and opportunities.
Options and Recommendations
Suitable trust structures are explained in plain terms, with the financial modelling to show the potential impact on your estate. Recommendations are made based on your specific situation — not a generic template.
Trust Drafting
Trust documents are drafted in legally precise terms, with trustee guidance notes explaining their duties and powers. For trusts incorporated into wills, the will is amended accordingly.
Review and Implementation
You review all documents with a full explanation of every provision. Once approved, documents are executed and, where applicable, assets are transferred into the trust structure. Ongoing trustee support is available.
Trust Planning Pricing Guide
Fees vary depending on the service and estate complexity. Below are typical costs from specialists in our network. All prices are in GBP.
| Service Type | Price Range |
|---|---|
Trust Planning | £500 to £1,500 |
What's Included in the Fee
- Consultation, will drafting, review, signing guidance, secure storage advice
- Joint consultation, two matching wills, review, signing guidance, storage advice
- Consultation, LPA drafting, certificate provider guidance, OPG registration support
- Estate review, trust recommendation, trust drafting, full explanation of implications
- Full asset review, IHT calculation, wills/LPA/trust recommendations, written report
- Grant of probate application, asset collection, HMRC returns, estate distribution
0% Finance Available
Staged payment plans available from most specialists. Many clients prefer to spread the cost of comprehensive estate planning over 6-12 months.
Trust Planning FAQs
What Our Clients Say
“My husband and I had been meaning to sort our wills for years. The will writer they matched us with made the whole process straightforward — she explained everything clearly, came to our home in Hampstead, and we had our mirror wills signed within two weeks. Couldn't be easier.”
“After my father's health scare, I realised we needed LPAs in place urgently. The specialist matched to us understood the urgency, explained both types of LPA clearly, and had everything registered within the timeframe we needed. Professional and reassuring throughout.”
“We needed a protective property trust to ensure our home would pass to our children rather than be used for care fees. The specialist was knowledgeable, patient, and explained every option. We felt completely informed before making any decisions.”