Avery Associates

Greater disposable income coincided with the emergence of the late 20 th   century phenomenon of accumulating trappings of wealth. But there does come a time when we must start to declutter. However, as Gloria Stafford says so eloquently, we must first face the question what is to be done with unwanted possessions in our  compulsively hoarded house . Lest our quality of life suffers while customers queue up thrift charity shops. The Long Gradual Process Leading to Compulsive Hoarding Compulsive hoarding does not appear out of nowhere like the big bang theory of creation. We longed for those trappings of wealth when starting out in life and gradually acquired them. Fast forward the decades and half of us have more possessions than we need. However, research does suggest this process slows for most of us when we reach 50. By then we have enough possessions and may be funding looking after them stressful. However, compulsive collecting often departs from the main stream at this ...

This article is about assets in England and Wales that are your legal entitlement. You can only bequeath things that you truly own. Because if you try to include anything else, the rightful owner could challenge your will and even overturn it completely. You should ponder carefully before deciding who gets the proceeds of your English and Welsh assets when you die. Specialist Advice from the Pen of Jeffrey Avery Jeffrey Avery is a specialist valuer of movable collectables. His work takes him into homes of deceased estates, where survivors ask him to arrange home clearances of unwanted items. They tell him they prefer to pay his slightly higher, yet still reasonable rates. Rather than take chances with fly-by-night tippers, and find the items dumped on open land alongside abandoned household waste. General Principles of Ownership and Wills Ownership is a state whereby a person, or legal entity has exclusive rights and control over an asset. Assets could be land, improvements, intellec...

Hampshire straddled the land bridge from Europe during the last great ice age. Mesolithic hunters gathered in river valleys where they hunted giant beasts. Until these became extinct and they began to experiment with agriculture instead. Roman and Norman colonists added to the genetic chain during several invasions. This contributed to a rich culture still evident in museums and antique dealers. I am mindful of this when clearing a hoarded home in Hampshire for I never know what I will find. A Display Cabinet Filled with Old China Pieces  The 21 st  Century Scourge – Fly Tipping in Hampshire I was traveling down to Southampton a few months ago to attend a  hoarded house clearance  after the occupant passed away. I left London early to avoid the worst of the morning rush, and followed a more leisurely route branching off from the motorway. On an impulse I headed down through B roads to visit a village I always wanted to see. It was everything I expected and I was thor...

Disputes over contents of wills are quite common. Especially during COVID that limits contact between family members. Some testators change their minds quite frequently. Long COVID can affect mental ability in the short term. Hence more people may be asking how to access medical records of deceased persons than before. Disputing a Last Will and Testament – An Overview A person making a will has few restrictions over their decisions. That’s provided the assets they mention are legally theirs, and they have a right to dispose of them. Claiming they were not of sound mind, and lacked sufficient mental capacity is a potential way around challenging such decisions. Especially since the deceased is no longer available for psychometric tests. Many such claims reason in terms Hawes versus Burgess (2013). This was a case where a sister appealed against a bequest that disinherited her brother. She won, although the legal costs absorbed the entire value of the estate. The core judgement ...

We were scrolling through the annals of Research Gate when we stumbled over a piece titled ‘Understanding and Treating Hoarding: A Biopsychosocial Perspective’. This seemed a bit heavy for a blog like this and we trolled for more information. An Historic Link Between Psychology and Money The psychology of money has not received much attention, because outside the wealthy many regard it as ‘foul and corrupt’. However, the New York Times stuck its neck out in September 2008 when it mentioned ‘money disorder’ being behind the self-destructive behavior of the nouveau riche who suddenly came into it. Adaptive behaviour and what money can buy Excessive wealth as a manifestation of hoarding disorder can arise out of the basic instinct to survive, that drove our human civilization. However, nowadays there’s no need to accumulate physical just-in-case things. Money is a universal store of value.  Miserliness developing as emotions activate neural pathways Psychologist Sigmund Freud wondered...

You accept the nomination out of affection for the friend you lost, register the death and are ready so start implementing their final wishes. But wait: you need official permission from the authorities.  That includes making arrangements for inheritance tax. However your first major hurdle is valuing the estate. Preparing an Application for a Grant of Probate 1. Download Form PA1P which is the official probate application form.  You can complete it and file it safely on your computer. It will take you a while to locate all the assets, and complete all the details. This information will make administering the estate easier, so it’s worth doing a thorough job. 2. Value the estate as best you can, making sure you list all the assets, and subtract all debts and liabilities from the total value. Your goal is to establish whether the net result is below £325,000 or not, because that’s the point where inheritance tax becomes payable. 3. Download form IHT205 (no inheritance tax) or f...

Compulsive hoarding is too slim a topic to attract much attention from scientific researchers at this time. However, the broader debate around OCD and the Covid-19 impact did obtain the interest of one Dr Debanjan Banerjee. He works with the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences in Bangalore, India. Obsessive Compulsive Disorders (OCD) are an interlinked series of conditions. Persons with them display uncontrollable, reoccurring thoughts and / or behaviours. Compulsive hoarder house clearance was once part of this motley collection. Dr Debanjan Banerjee’s report is thus of related interest, especially as we include a hoarder house clearance in our portfolio of probate-related services. 1. The Backdrop to OCD and the Covid-19 Impact We have faced an evolving threat over the past 100 days. A new coronavirus strain, SARS-CoV-2 introduced a dangerous viral infection called Covid-19. The initial outbreak was in the Chinese city of Wuhan. Over 4 million cases are on record ...