We all know how easy it is to lose or misplace documents that are kept at home – particularly if you move house.
And then there are the things outside of your control – in the UK, there are over 64,000 household fires, 1,000,000 burglaries and 2,000,000 homes at risk from flooding every year, any of which could mean the loss of those vital pieces of paper.
Secure Document Storage
As an additional bonus, we also offer the benefit of an Update Service. As will writers, we know how annoying it is to have to pay a fee every time you want to make a simple amendment to your will, so we’ve included free updates in our storage service. This covers basic changes such as new address details (if you move house) and the inclusion of new beneficiaries.
Why it is important to store your will?
The original version of your last will and testament are the only legally binding version you have. Any scan or photocopies you have, as well as any computer records you have are not valid as they do not have your original signature on them.
Where a will cannot be found there is the presumption that it was destroyed and revoked by the person who made it, which means your beneficiaries will need to prove your wishes and try to claim what they are entitled too through probate. Your loved ones will need to:
- Prove the will existed
- Explain why the will cannot be produced
- Give details about what was in the will
Because of this ambiguity, it is more likely that the contents of the will is challenged
While copies are not proof of your will because they do not have your original signature on, they are still valid enough to begin probate. However, in this case your loved one will have to go through the right processes, provide the correct evidence and will need to fight for the assets you wanted to leave them.
Benefits of using a document storage service
If you have made a will in Birmingham, Solihull, Sutton Coldfield, Telford or Tamworth then storing it with a professional is a good idea. There are a number of places you can store a will, including:
- At home in a safe place, protected from fire, water etc.
- A Will Writing Service, such as the Will Writers of the West Midlands, who will store the document in a safe place.
- The probate service: for a one-off fee you can store your will with the probate service, but if you would like to make any changes to it in the future you will need to submit these changes to the probate service.
- A bank: some banks offer will writing services and the option of storing these documents, but if you choose this option you need to make sure that the will is being stored somewhere it can be accessed easily by your will executor, a safety deposit box (for example), won’t work as the executor won’t have access to this until they have your will and can evidence you wanted them to have access to it.
When you use a professional service to store your will you have some additional benefits, including:
- You know the documents are kept safe.
- Your executor of your will, will know where the will is stored and can access it easily.
- Copies are usually made by professional companies.
- A professional will make sure your will is registered with the National Will Register.