Sideways disinheritance
If your surviving partner remarries, your estate can pass to their new family, and your own children can be left with nothing.
Family Asset Protection Trusts
Keep it in the family. For good.
A will decides who inherits. A trust makes sure they actually keep it. We help homeowners protect the family home with a properly drafted Family Asset Protection Trust, while keeping full control of it themselves.
- Fixed fees agreed upfront, no hidden costs
- Free, no-obligation consultation
- Handled by phone or video, no home visit needed
Fixed, transparent feesAgreed before you commit a penny
Free initial consultationNo obligation, no pressure
No home visit neededHandled by phone or video
Trust specialistsFocused on trusts, not a will mill
The risk of a will alone
A will decides who gets what. A trust decides they actually keep it.
A will still goes through probate and hands assets over outright, where they're exposed. For homeowners with something worth protecting, that's often not enough.
Probate delay & exposure
Probate can take months, becomes public record, and leaves assets open to claims before your family sees a penny.
Inheritance lost downstream
Money left outright can be lost to a beneficiary's divorce, debts or bankruptcy the moment it lands in their name.
What we set up
Two ways to protect the family home.
Both are lifetime trusts, drafted and properly funded so they do their job when it matters. Which one fits depends on what your estate is worth.
Family Asset Protection Trust
FAPT · residential property
A lifetime trust that holds your home for the benefit of your family. You act as a trustee, you carry on exactly as you do now, and the property sits in a protected structure instead of being owned outright.
- You remain a trustee and keep control
- No rent to pay, and you stay as long as you wish
- You can still sell, buy or move
- The Land Registry records your trustees as guardians of the trust
- Keeps the home in your bloodline, for up to 125 years
FAPT+
For estates above the nil rate band
Built for estates worth more than the nil rate band. The asset goes into the trust and is allocated across separate funds so each allowance is used properly, with Immediate Post Death Interest wills drawn up alongside it.
- Allocates the residence nil rate band, the nil rate band and the balance
- IPDI wills included, so the residence allowance can still pass to direct descendants
- Needs a minimum of two trustees
- Still removes the need for probate on trust assets
Both are for your residential home. Buy-to-let and commercial property are handled differently, and we will tell you straight if a trust is not the right answer for yours.
The DIY option
Thinking of just signing it over to the kids?
It is the most common piece of kitchen-table advice, and it carries risks most families never hear about until it is too late.
Tax consequences
A gift can bring inheritance tax and capital gains tax into play, and the seven-year rule may not work the way you expect.
Extra stamp duty
If your children already own a home, the transfer can trigger the higher rate of stamp duty on their side.
Relationship breakdown
Once it is in their name, a divorce, a dispute or a creditor on their side can put your home at risk.
Paying rent
Continuing to live in a house you have given away can mean paying a market rent to stay in your own home.
Deprivation of assets
Giving assets away at the wrong time can be treated as deliberate deprivation, with consequences you cannot undo.
Loss of control
You cannot change your mind. A trust keeps you as a trustee, so the decisions stay with you.
Why families choose a trust
Control, protection and privacy, on your terms.
You keep control
Whatever you can do with your home today, you can do once it is in the trust. Settlors can also remove and replace trustees.
Bloodline protection
Your estate stays with your children and grandchildren rather than passing sideways to another family after a remarriage.
No probate wait
Trust assets pass to your family without the months-long probate process, and without probate costs on those assets.
Harder to challenge
A will can be contested. A properly drafted trust is far harder to challenge, because the assets sit outside the estate probate deals with.
You choose the timing
A will cannot control when someone inherits. A trust can, so a beneficiary receives what you intended, when you intended.
Kept private
Unlike a will in probate, a trust keeps your affairs and your family's inheritance out of the public record.
60-second check
See which trust fits your family.
Answer a few quick questions about your situation and we'll point you to the right protection, then a local specialist will call to talk it through. No jargon, no pressure.
- Takes under a minute
- No obligation, no cost
- Speak to a real person, based locally
Areas we cover
A local trust specialist near you.
We help homeowners protect their families right across the region. Find your area below, or take the 60-second check and we'll match you to your local specialist.
GloucesterCheltenhamComing soonBristolComing soonHerefordComing soonBathComing soonCardiffComing soonNewportComing soon
Don't see your town? Take the check anyway, we cover the wider area and are adding locations all the time.
[ Photo ]Founder headshot
Meet your specialist
Advice from a real person, not a call centre.
Clearview was started to do estate planning the way it should be done: properly, plainly and without the pressure. When you get in touch you'll speak to a qualified specialist who takes the time to understand your family and recommends only what genuinely protects them. No scripts, no upselling.
John Matthews · Managing Director · Clearview Wealth & Trust
Simple from start to finish
Your trust, sorted in three steps.
Take the quick check
Answer a few questions so we understand your family, your assets and what you want to protect.
Talk it through
A specialist calls to recommend the right trust and answer your questions, all by phone or video.
We set it up
We draft, sign and properly fund your trust so it's watertight and ready to do its job.
Common questions
Trusts, explained plainly.
What's the difference between a will and a trust?
A will sets out who inherits, but it still goes through probate and hands assets over outright. A trust holds your home within a protected structure, so it can avoid probate and stay shielded for the people you choose. Most families use both together.
Do I lose control of my home if I put it in a trust?
No. You act as a trustee, so you carry on exactly as you do now. Whatever you can do with the property today, you can do once it is in the trust, and the settlors keep the right to remove and replace trustees.
Do I have to pay rent, or move out?
Neither. There is no rent to pay and you can stay as long as you wish. You can also sell, buy another property, or spend the proceeds. The trust changes the ownership structure, not your day-to-day life.
How is a FAPT different from a FAPT+?
Both are lifetime trusts holding your residential home. A FAPT suits most families. A FAPT+ is for estates worth more than the nil rate band: the asset is allocated across separate funds so each allowance is used properly, and Immediate Post Death Interest wills are drawn up alongside it.
Does the trust need registering anywhere?
Yes. Trusts must be registered with HMRC within 90 days of being signed, and annual trust minutes are required after that. We handle the registration and the minutes for you, and the annual cost is confirmed upfront.
Can a trust be challenged the way a will can?
A will can be contested. A properly drafted trust is far harder to challenge, because the assets sit outside the estate that probate deals with. No structure is completely challenge-proof, which is why the drafting matters.
Does this cover a buy-to-let or a business?
A FAPT and FAPT+ are for your residential home. Buy-to-let, commercial property and business shares are handled through different structures, and your specialist will tell you straight which one applies.
Do I need to come into an office?
No. Everything is handled by phone or video call at a time that suits you, wherever you are. No home visits required.
How much does it cost?
It depends on the structure your family needs. After the quick check, your specialist gives you clear, fixed pricing before you commit to anything, including the annual cost of maintaining the trust.
Protect it while you can
Give your family certainty, not a court process.
Take the 60-second check and find out exactly how to keep your home and savings where they belong.