Estate Planning in Manchester
Manchester estates have changed shape twice in twenty years — first with the regeneration of the city centre, then with the relentless climb of property prices across south Manchester and the Cheshire belt. What was once a region of comfortable but moderate estates is now, increasingly, a region of estates squarely inside inheritance tax territory. The planning has not kept up.
Why Manchester estates underestimate their IHT exposure
The IHT thresholds were last meaningfully changed in 2009. Property in Didsbury, Chorlton, Sale, Altrincham and Wilmslow has, on average, more than doubled since then. The threshold has not moved. The estates have.
A semi in West Didsbury or Chorlton routinely changes hands at £700k+. A four-bed in Hale or Bowdon is comfortably above £1.2m. Add a defined-contribution pension and a modest investment portfolio and the estate is taxable — often by six figures — under current rules, and more under the post-April-2027 rules.
The frequent assumption that 'the house just goes to my spouse and then to the kids' is correct in narrative and wrong in tax terms. The IHT bill arrives the second time the estate moves, and the children — not the spouse — write the cheque. Without planning, that cheque often forces the sale of the family home.
The tools to fix this are not exotic. They're standard: properly drafted wills, Property Trusts, lifetime gifting, life cover written in trust, and pension sequencing. They just need someone to do the work before the rules bite.
South Manchester property estates
Most of our Manchester clients own one significantly appreciated property and one or two further assets. The planning question is rarely 'should we move?' — it's 'how do we structure ownership so the next generation doesn't lose 40% of it to HMRC?' The answer almost always involves a Property Trust written into the first will and a clear plan for the surviving spouse.
Business owners in the region
Manchester's professional and entrepreneurial base has grown rapidly. Family businesses crossing the £1m BPR cap from April 2026 face an entirely new IHT exposure. Lifetime gifting of shares, life cover and structural separation of trading from investment assets all become relevant — and all carry lead times that mean the work has to start now.
Pensions, the 2027 change, and drawdown order
Many higher-rate Manchester professionals were advised — correctly under the old rules — to draw from ISAs and savings first and leave the SIPP as an IHT-free inheritance vehicle. From April 2027, that strategy reverses. The order in which you draw down assets between now and then will materially change the eventual IHT bill.
Where we typically come in
Inheritance Tax Planning
Pension sequencing, lifetime gifts, trusts and life cover written in trust — built specifically around the post-April-2027 rules.
Read more →Property Trusts
Protect the deceased partner's share of the family home against care fees, remarriage and future will changes.
Read more →Wills
Up-to-date drafting that uses the Residence Nil-Rate Band, anticipates the 2027 pension change, and reflects today's family.
Read more →Lasting Power of Attorney
Both Property & Financial Affairs and Health & Welfare LPAs registered before they're needed.
Read more →What we'd actually do for you
We start by understanding what you own and what you want to happen to it. We then model the IHT position under current and post-2027 rules, identify the structural moves that materially change the outcome, and tell you in plain English what's worth doing and what isn't. Most Manchester estates need three or four properly sequenced changes. Not twenty.
Complete the Discovery first - then we'll book your free 30-minute consultation.
Common questions from clients in Manchester
Are you Manchester-based?
We are based in Bournemouth and serve clients across the UK. Manchester clients are typically seen by video call, with documents signed remotely. The advice and the indemnity are identical to a face-to-face engagement.
I run a Manchester family business worth more than £1m — what changes in April 2026?
Business Property Relief becomes capped. The first £1m of qualifying business assets retains 100% relief; everything above is reduced to 50%, creating an effective 20% IHT charge on the excess. The planning options are real but need lead time.
Do I need to come to your office to work with you?
No. We work nationally — and increasingly internationally. Most of our clients in Manchester are seen by video call, with documents signed remotely or couriered when wet signatures are needed. The advice is the same. The convenience is yours.
Is Sean Kiani regulated?
Sean Kiani is a member of the Society of Will Writers and holds full Professional Indemnity Insurance. Estate planning is unregulated in the UK — which is precisely why credentials, supervision and indemnity matter.
What does a first conversation cost?
Nothing. A first call is free, confidential, and exists for one purpose: to find out whether your current arrangements still do what you think they do. If they do, we'll tell you. If they don't, you'll know exactly what's exposed and what to do about it.
Other UK areas we serve
Your 30 minutes. Simple. Yours.
No-obligation.
The path is simple: complete the Discovery first so we walk into the call already knowing the facts. Then in 30 focused minutes, I listen, answer your questions, and you choose if you'd like us to draw up your Inheritance Plan.
1. Start Your Discovery
Required first step. Complete the confidential financial position review so your no-obligation 30-minute consultation starts with the facts, not the basics.
2. Request a Callback
Prefer to speak first? Leave your details and we'll call you back to talk through the Discovery before you complete it.
You choose the date, time, and format - phone or online. Bring anyone you'd like.