Storing your will with Wills Services
It is so important that your will doesn’t get damaged or lost. It also needs to be easily accessible for both yourself and the executor, so that you can make amendments and the will can be initiated when the time comes.
That means you shouldn’t really keep it in the attic, gathering dust amongst all your other old documents.
Here at Wills Services, we provide a professional will storage service where you are able to keep your will until it is needed, whether it’s to make amendments or to begin the process of distributing your estate.
Where to keep a will
Knowing where to store a will in the UK can be difficult and it’s all too easy to put it somewhere where it’s at-risk of being damaged or misplaced, which is why we recommend storing your will at a professional storage facility.
Our partners offer such a service, where your will is kept safe for you to update as and when you need to, and the executor is able to access it without hassle when you pass away.
Here at Wills Services, we provide you with a:
- Safe facility to store your will
- A facility that is accessible to you and the nominated executor when needs be
- Record of all the times the will was accessed and any amendments made
If you happen to lose your will or it is not accessible to the executors when you pass away, the consequences can be damaging to your loved ones and your estate could be at risk.
A lost or inaccessible will could mean that your final wishes are unknown and your estate could be distributed in line with intestacy rules or could be handed over to the Crown. Intestacy rules may not reflect your true wishes and family members could end up being left out, including step-children, who are not recognised by the rules as being automatically eligible for inheritance.
In order to ensure that your estate, which includes your savings, properties, businesses, and all other assets, are distributed to the right people, it is imperative that you write a will and store it with us here at Wills Services.
With our help, your will is secured, monitored, and accessed by the relevant parties when needs be. The risk of damage or loss is minimal and you can guarantee that your estate will be protected and distributed in a way that represents your true wishes when you are no longer around.
Where NOT to store a will
There are, however, some places that you should specifically avoid storing your will, and one of those places is a bank safety deposit box.
If you put your will in a safety deposit box, the bank is not able to open it when you pass away unless the executor has been granted probate (legal permission from the court to manage the affairs of the person who has passed away). Probate cannot be granted without the will, which essentially means that the will cannot be accessed if it is in a safety deposit box when you die. No one can access the will, which means it serves absolutely no purpose and intestacy rules will then determine how your estate is passed on.
We also recommend that you avoid keeping it at home amongst other documents, regardless of how safe you think it is, because paperwork can easily be mixed up, misplaced or damaged.
Our professional will storage facility is the best place to keep your will – you simply inform your executor that we are holding your will on your behalf, in writing, and that’s all there is to it.
Updating a will with Wills Services
Due to the ever-changing nature of life and the changes in circumstances that naturally occur, it’s very unlikely that you will write one draft of your will and never update it again. This has become a reality for many throughout the UK during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic to ensure own wills correctly reflect their current situation and wishes.
You will, at some point, need to make amendments to the first version of your will, whether it’s due to a change in your relationship (you get married or divorced), you have a child, buy a house, or any other reason.
We understand that your personal circumstances will change from time to time, which is why we make the process of amending your will as straightforward as possible.
It’s recommended that you review your will at least every five years, and following any major milestone or change in circumstances. While you review your will, it’s important that you ensure that the information outlined within reflects your current wishes as accurately as possible.
Regardless of how minor or major you think the change would be, it’s better to make the amendment than avoid it. If you avoid updating your will, your wishes may be outdated by the time you pass away and complications could arise.
Remember that alterations must be signed and witnessed, like the original will, which can be arranged to accommodate your needs.
Storing a will with Wills Services
To store and/or update your will in the UK, simply complete our short contact form , include the services you are interested in and we will be in touch at a time that’s convenient for you.
