There is no law on how a Will should be stored. It’s up to you what you want to do about storing your Will but there are some common sense thoughts.
It does need to be kept somewhere safe, where it won’t be lost, inadvertently damaged or thrown away. You should let your executors know where it is as they will need to find it if you pass away.
Bank deposit boxes to store a Will are not a good idea because the bank can’t open the deposit box until after probate has been granted and your executors will need to have the Will to get that probate.
HM Courts and Tribunal Service will store Wills for a fee. You can find out more about this service on their website.
Some solicitors store Wills. Sometimes they will do it free of charge and sometimes they will make a charge. We at Stephensons have now started encouraging our clients to store their own Wills and let their executors know where they are because we believe that allows the executors to access them easily when the time comes.
Wherever you store your Will it is vital not to staple it, put a paperclip or anything else on which may mark it because that could give rise to the suspicion that there are other parts of the Will which were attached but have become lost, and that would create problems for your executors and beneficiaries.
At Stephensons we have sympathetic Wills and probate specialists. We help people from all over the country and there is no need to come into our offices. We can talk you through creating a Will and prepare one for you. For a no obligation discussion contact us on 0161 696 6238.
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