Storing your Will

Your will is one of the most important documents that you will have written during your lifetime. It contains vital information including what should happen to your assets after your death, who you wish to provide for, and potentially any preferences regarding funeral arrangements.

It is therefore vital that, having written a Will, it is stored in a safe place and that it can be located quickly and easily by those who survive you. If anything happens to your Will, or if those people who survive you do not know where to find it, you might as well not have written one!

Tell your executor where your Will is

Once you’ve made your decision about how to deposit your Will for safekeeping, it’s essential to make sure that your executors know where it is and how to get it. If you have had your Will written by someone else then make sure that you get a copy and write down where the original Will is held.

Ways of storing a Will

There isn’t any particular place that the law says you must deposit your Will. Choose the option that’s safest and most appropriate for you.

1. Leave it with a solicitor

If a solicitor writes your Will, they will may store the original for free.

2. Let a Will writing service store it

If you use a Will writing service they will often store it for you for an extra charge. These types of firms are often not regulated like solicitors so you should always check what would happen if the Will was damaged or lost or if the firm went out of business.

3. Lodge it with the Probate Service (England and Wales)

The Probate Service will store your will for you for a fee. After death your Executor can apply for access for the document. During your lifetime only you can make an official request to take it out again (you cannot ask your solicitor to obtain it for you) and a fee may apply to take the Will out to make any alterations.

4. Keep your will yourself

You can keep your Will with your other documents, in a safe, or anywhere else you like – just make sure your executor knows where it is.

Where not to keep your will

Never keep your Will in a bank safety deposit box. When someone dies, the bank usually cannot open the deposit box until the executor gets a Grant of Probate – and probate can’t be granted without the Will!

At mosshaselhurst we offer all of our clients the option for us to store your Will, free of charge. We also encourage our clients to register their Wills with Certainty – the digital National Wills Register which will enable your loved ones to quickly and easily locate your Will.

If you wish to speak to a member of our team for a Will review or to store and register your existing Will, please contact us on 01606 74301.