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Harlow
ELATCO is based at Lynfield in Roydon, just outside Harlow, and has helped local families with wills, trusts and lasting powers of attorney since 1999. Meet us by online video meeting, or at home where a visit suits the work.
Harlow is our nearest town, and we help families right across it — Old Harlow and Church Langley, Newhall, and the original new-town neighbourhoods such as Great Parndon, Netteswell, Latton Bush and Potter Street. We also serve nearby Gilston in East Hertfordshire, part of the wider Harlow and Gilston Garden Town. You'll speak to Laurence or Kealy, not a call centre.
Many Harlow families have owned their home for a long time, sometimes since buying it from the council, and it's now worth far more than they paid. That makes the will matter more than people expect: who inherits, whether a surviving partner is protected, and whether the inheritance tax allowances for passing a home to children and grandchildren are used properly. Our wills page explains how we approach this.
If you've moved into one of Harlow's newer homes with young children, one of the most important parts of your will may be the one naming guardians. A will lets you choose who you'd want to look after your children; a surviving parent with parental responsibility will usually continue to care for them, and the guardians step in if neither parent can. Without a will, your estate also passes under the intestacy rules rather than as you'd choose.
There is no such thing as a “common-law” husband or wife in England and Wales. Without a will, an unmarried partner has no automatic right to inherit. We explain the risks and what to check in our guide to unmarried couples and inheritance.
If illness or an accident meant you couldn't make decisions for yourself, your husband, wife or children wouldn't automatically have the legal authority to manage your money or make health and welfare decisions for you. Family can still be consulted about your care, but that isn't the same as being able to decide. A lasting power of attorney lets people you trust act for you. We prepare both types and handle registration with the Office of the Public Guardian.
For Harlow residents, Essex County Council is responsible for adult social care needs assessments and, where the council arranges support, financial assessments. NHS funding works differently. We'll explain plainly how the assessment works and what can, and can't, be done — there's no blanket way to keep a home out of a care-fee assessment, and we won't pretend otherwise. See our long-term care planning page.
Most clients meet us by online video meeting — usually Google Meet, or Teams, Zoom or telephone if you prefer — so family members can join from wherever they live. Because our office is in nearby Roydon, we can also offer home visits where they suit the work; whether a visit is right depends on the size and complexity of the estate, and we'll talk it through on the first call. Your first conversation is free, and any work is at a fixed fee agreed in writing before we start.
Last reviewed: October 2026. General information on the law of England and Wales; rules can change.
From our experience
Every family is different, but these come up again and again.
Her husband died some years ago. Their wills left everything to each other, so the home and savings are now hers. One of her two children is going through a divorce.
What we do: We check that the allowances her husband didn’t use can still be claimed on her death, and talk about whether her son’s share should go into a trust so it’s kept separate from a divorce settlement. We also suggest lasting powers of attorney while she’s well.
They own their home together and assumed that covered everything. Neither has a will, and both have workplace pensions with death-in-service cover.
What we do: We explain that owning the home jointly doesn’t pass on savings or name a guardian, and that pension nomination forms are separate from a will. Two wills, guardians named and nomination forms checked usually puts things right.
Each partner has grown-up children from a first marriage. They’re thinking of simple wills leaving everything to each other.
What we do: We explain the risk: the survivor could later change their will, and one side of the family could end up with nothing. A trust in the will can let the survivor stay in the home for life, with each partner’s share going to their own children afterwards.
These are typical examples, not real clients. Places and details are illustrative, and this isn’t advice for your own situation.
Who you'll speak to
Every Harlow client deals with the same small family team, from the first call to signing.
Founded ELATCO in 1999. Wills, trusts and estate planning for families and business owners.
Mirror wills through to trusts and later-life planning, explained in plain English.
Often the first voice you'll hear. Keeps appointments and documents moving.
How it works
By online video meeting, or at home where suitable. Usually 30 to 40 minutes. No charge and no obligation.
We explain what we recommend and why, with a fixed fee in writing. Nothing is charged until you say yes.
We go through your documents with you line by line and make sure they're signed and witnessed properly.
Don't worry if you haven't got all of this. A rough idea is enough for the first conversation.
Harlow
Where it suits the work, yes. Our office is in nearby Roydon, so home visits are possible for Harlow clients. Whether a visit is right depends on the size and complexity of the estate, and we’ll discuss it on the first call. Many Harlow clients choose an online video meeting instead.
It depends on what you need, so we don’t quote a one-size price. Your first conversation is free and without obligation; after it we confirm a fixed fee in writing before any work starts, so there are no surprises. How much does a will cost?
Yes. A will isn’t only about property. It names who deals with your affairs, who inherits your savings and belongings, and, if you have young children, who you’d want to look after them.
Yes. We prepare both types — property and financial affairs, and health and welfare — and handle registration with the Office of the Public Guardian.
Yes. A lasting power of attorney can only be made while the person can still make their own decisions, so it’s best done early. We can meet your parents by online video meeting, with you joining if they’d like, or at home where suitable. We’ll always speak with your parents themselves, because the decision has to be theirs.
Usually it’s worth checking. In England and Wales, marrying or entering a civil partnership normally cancels an existing will, unless it was made with that marriage in mind. Divorce doesn’t cancel a will, but your former husband, wife or civil partner is treated as if they had died for the parts that would have benefited them. Moving house doesn’t cancel a will, but it’s a good moment to check it still does what you want.
Free first meeting by online video meeting, or at home in Harlow where it suits the work.