Company news · England and Wales
Property succession planning: a new chapter for Finanze Legacy.
A new chapter for Finanze Legacy.
Finanze Legacy began as a joint venture in an estate planning company with David Nicklin. Following David’s management buyout of the remaining 50% shareholding, that company has changed its name to RC Legacywise Wills and Trusts Ltd and is independently owned by him. Finanze Legacy now operates as a trading name of Finanze Strategy Ltd. We continue to work with David as our specialist estate planning partner, while each business has its own role and responsibility.
Property investors spend years deciding what to buy, how to finance it and when to refinance or sell. Far fewer make a clear plan for the people who may one day need to manage those decisions, or inherit the result. That is the conversation Finanze Legacy exists to start.
A property portfolio needs a succession plan.
A portfolio can involve personally owned homes, company shares, business partners, mortgages, tenants and dependants. The arrangements that work while you are making every decision yourself may be harder for someone else to navigate if you lose capacity or die.
Who knows where the ownership and lending records are? Who would have authority to deal with the properties during your lifetime if you could not? Would your will reflect the way the portfolio is actually held, and do those who may inherit it want or know how to run it? These questions deserve attention alongside any acquisition, refinancing or portfolio restructuring strategy.
A will and lasting powers of attorney are important starting points. Depending on the circumstances, an investor may also need to review company arrangements, insurance, tax and whether a trust is suitable. No single document solves every issue, and changing ownership simply for succession reasons can have finance and tax consequences. The right plan starts with the whole picture.
The questions a property owner cannot leave to chance.
Take an investor with one home, two buy-to-lets in their own name and three properties owned by a limited company. On a spreadsheet it is one portfolio. In law and in practice it can involve separate owners, accounts, decision-makers and finance agreements. Passing the personally held properties under a will is different from passing shares in the company. An attorney for personal finances does not automatically become a company director.
The first useful exercise is to identify what belongs to whom. Are any properties held with a spouse, relative or investment partner? Are they held as joint tenants or tenants in common? Who owns the company shares and what do its articles and any shareholder agreement provide? Which properties secure borrowing, and could the next generation afford to retain them? These questions turn “leave the portfolio to the children” into something a family can evaluate realistically.
Equally, ask whether the intended beneficiaries want the same outcome. One child might know the business and wish to continue it; another may prefer a clean financial settlement. A surviving partner may need income and a home before the portfolio is divided. None of these decisions should be made by a generic checklist, but naming the people and priorities is a useful first step.
Planning for the period when you are still here.
Succession is not only about inheritance. If an investor cannot manage their affairs for several months, rents, maintenance, insurance and lender requests continue. A registered property and financial affairs lasting power of attorney may assist with personally owned assets within its terms. A property company needs its own governance and banking review. The practical records that let an authorised person find a managing agent or insurance policy matter as much as the legal appointment.
This is why Finanze Legacy looks beyond whether a will exists. A useful plan joins up people, legal authority, information and the commercial reality of the portfolio. A family should know where the records are, whom to call and which decisions cannot wait. Our property succession guide sets out the ownership questions in more depth; the three-month absence test helps investors check how their portfolio would operate during a temporary gap.
Why Finanze Legacy exists.
At Finanze, we help clients think through the commercial side of building and financing property portfolios. Finanze Legacy creates a route from those conversations to specialist estate planning. It is an introduction service operated by Finanze Strategy Ltd, with Alastair Hoyne helping investors identify where their ownership, borrowing and longer-term family objectives may need to be considered together.
That might begin with a first will, a review after buying more properties, a question about who could act during a period of ill health or a more involved discussion about passing a business to the next generation. You do not need to decide in advance which legal documents are right for you.
The same service is open to someone with a single home and a family question. The property investor focus reflects the discussions we often have across Finanze, rather than a requirement to own a portfolio. An unmarried partner wondering what would happen to their home, or parents reviewing an older will, should be able to ask a straightforward question and get to the right next conversation.
Working with David Nicklin.
For specialist estate planning support, we work with David Nicklin and his team at RC Legacywise Wills and Trusts Ltd. David has worked in financial services for more than three decades and has specialised in estate planning since 2017. He understands that the people behind a portfolio matter as much as its value.
With your permission, we can introduce you to David’s team to discuss your circumstances and the services that may be appropriate. RC Legacywise will explain the scope, fees and terms of its work before you decide whether to engage it. Where separate legal, tax or regulated advice is needed, the appropriate professionals should be involved.
From our founder / The Finanze Framework™
What you build deserves a longer view.
Alastair Hoyne’s book, The Finanze Framework: Property Strategy & Finance Success, connects the decisions behind acquiring and financing property with the longer-term responsibility of protecting it.
Its final part, Protecting What You Build, invites investors to think beyond the next transaction and consider family, continuity and choice.
35Thinking in GenerationsFamily, continuity and choice
36Estate Planning & ProtectionQuestions to take to the right specialists
The book is educational and does not replace advice tailored to your circumstances. Published by Finanze Strategy Ltd under licence. Editions are scheduled for 30 October 2026; ordering options are shown by the retailer.
Start with what you have built.
If you own investment property and have not considered how it would be managed or passed on, get in touch with Finanze Legacy. Tell us a little about your portfolio and the questions on your mind. We can help you find a sensible starting point and, if you wish, make an introduction to David. The same form is open to families without investment property.
This article reflects the ownership and trading arrangements at the time of publication. Website information is general and is not individual legal, tax or financial advice.