Trusts Mayfair
Specialist trust planning for individuals and families across Mayfair and central London - protecting property, business interests and pension wealth from inheritance tax, divorce and care-fee claims.
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Why trusts matter for Mayfair estates
Mayfair estates rarely fit a single Will. Property values place even modest homes well above the combined £1m nil-rate bands, and the wider picture - UK and overseas investments, private company shares, AIM portfolios, defined-contribution pensions, life policies, art - adds layers a straightforward Will cannot address.
A trust is the mechanism that solves those layers. It separates legal ownership from beneficial enjoyment, so capital can be removed from the taxable estate while the family keeps practical control. The right trust, set up at the right time, is normally the single most effective IHT tool available - far more so than re-titling property or hoping a spouse outlives the seven-year clock.
Trust structures used for Mayfair clients
Each engagement starts with the existing position - Wills, LPAs, pension nominations, existing trust deeds - and narrows to the structure that actually moves the tax exposure. Fixed fees, agreed in writing before drafting begins.
Discretionary trusts
Trustees decide how and when beneficiaries receive capital or income. Useful for shielding wealth from divorce, creditor claims, or beneficiaries who are not yet ready to inherit outright.
Life-interest (IIP) trusts
A surviving spouse or named beneficiary receives the income for life; the capital passes to the next generation on their death. Common where there are children from a previous marriage.
Life policies written in trust
Term and whole-of-life cover placed in trust pays out outside the estate. The proceeds reach beneficiaries within weeks and meet the IHT bill without forcing a property sale.
Property protection trusts
A share of the main residence passes into trust on first death. The survivor keeps a right to occupy; the protected share is ring-fenced from future care-fee assessments and remarriage risk.
Business and share trusts
Private company shares and AIM holdings placed in trust during lifetime, structured around Business Property Relief and the £1m cap that applies from April 2026.
Pilot and bare trusts
Small standalone trusts set up in lifetime to receive pension death benefits or specific gifts. Used to keep value out of beneficiaries' own taxable estates.
Trusts and the 2025–2027 tax landscape
The nil-rate band remains £325,000 per person, with up to £175,000 residence nil-rate band where the main home passes to direct descendants - a combined £1m for a married couple. Above that, 40% applies. For Mayfair clients that £1m is normally exceeded many times over by property alone.
From 6 April 2027, unused pension assets fall inside the taxable estate for the first time. Pilot trusts and bypass trusts written before that date can capture pension death benefits outside the estate and outside the beneficiaries' own estates.
From April 2026, Business Property Relief and Agricultural Property Relief are capped at £1m combined for full relief, with only 50% relief above the cap. Business owners holding private company shares need their trust planning reviewed against the new cap, not the historic 100% position.
Lifetime gifts into a discretionary trust use the seven-year clock from the date of the gift. Anything that depends on that clock needs to be set running now, not in 2027.
How the process works
1. Free consultation. Thirty minutes by phone, video or in person at the W1J office. The current position is reviewed and the inheritance tax exposure is quantified. No charge, no obligation.
2. Written trust recommendation. A specific structure - discretionary, life-interest, property protection, business - set out alongside the Will and LPA arrangements that need to sit with it. Fixed costs and clear timelines.
3. Draft, execute and store. Trust deeds are drafted, executed and held securely through Sentinel Will Storage. Trustees are briefed in writing on their duties. The structure is reviewed on a regular cycle and after any material change in circumstances or law.
Serving Mayfair and central London
Clients are seen across Mayfair, Belgravia, Knightsbridge, St James's, Marylebone and Chelsea - at the W1J office, at the client's home, or by video call. The Bournemouth office handles instructions where there is a second home or family interest on the south coast.
Frequently Asked Questions
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.