You need to decide how you will store your Will and then its location should be confirmed to your Executors. If your Will cannot be found, then the effect is as though you have not written one, which will often lead to the inevitable consequences of those who should be beneficiaries not becoming entitled to all that they are due.
You can keep the Will at home, perhaps in your own safe if you have one, which will be secure. It will be accessed by the first people who gain access to your safe when you die. Typically, those people will be loyal and trustworthy so there will be no issue.
A word of warning: We have previously supported a family after a Will has gone missing from a house safe. We knew the Will existed, and we also knew the Will made no provision for the individual that opened the safe. The result of this missing document is that this person did go on to receive an inheritance. So, please think carefully about keeping your Will at home.
Never keep your Will in a bank safety deposit box!
When someone dies, the bank cannot open the deposit box until the Executor obtains Probate (permission from the court to administer your affairs) – and Probate cannot be granted without the Will. So, the Will must always be available to your Executors!
The most common way to keep your Will is to arrange storage. We can do this for you and we will write to your Executors to advise them that we are holding the documents safely. Our annual cost for Storage is £20.00.
