Where should I store my Will?
It is just as important to store your Will safely as it is to make it. If a Will is lost then your estate could pass in accordance with the Rules of Intestacy, which means your loved ones could miss out on their inheritance.
When someone dies, their Executors have the task of winding up their affairs and distributing the estate to their beneficiaries.
If the Will is missing or no-one knows where it has been stored, then it can make the Executors job more difficult. A previous Will might end up being used instead, or the estate distributed as if no Will exists.
The Rules of Intestacy
The Rules of Intestacy apply to estates where no Will has been left and leave the estate to the deceased’s next of kin, prioritising any spouse that may exist.
This may mean for example that the deceased’s children receive substantially less than was intended or nothing at all. Under the Rules of Intestacy, cohabitees and step-children do not inherit anything.
Where is the best place to store your Will
Once your Will has been signed, dated and witnessed, we advise that it is stored in a flood-proof and fire-proof safe.
If you do not have a suitable storage safe, we can store your Will for you. We offer the first year free to our clients and after that a small fee is payable yearly.
We will send you and, if you wish, your Executors, a storage certificate with details of where it is being stored so easily located when the time comes.
We also register your Will and location with Certainty, the National Will Register, the Law Society’s choice of Wills register. If a Will is missing after a death, the executor can make searches of registers such as this to try and locate it.
We will also store other documents such as Lasting Power of Attorneys and Trust documents for no additional fee.
To find out more about our storage options, call us now on 01953 711950.