Essex & Suffolk Wills Ltd, 25 The Glade, Welshwood Park, Colchester, Essex. CO4 3JD
Tel: 0845 116 2195 Email: info@essexandsuffolkwills.co.uk
© 2008 - 2011 All Rights Reserved
Registered in England and Wales Company No: 06740848
Essex & Suffolk
Wills Ltd
0845 116 2195
Why should a will not be kept at home?
If you store your will at home it is likely that it could be damaged in some way – even a pen mark or a staple hole could render the will void. If there is a house fire it could destroy the will completely. If the will is damaged or destroyed this will be equivalent to dying intestate and therefore the Government will decide who will inherit your estate in accordance with the antiquated Laws of Intestacy.
If your will is complex it is more important not to store it at home because if the person who finds your will is unhappy with the way in which your estate is to be distributed they could choose to ‘lose’ the will. Another risk is that if an older will is discovered (that does not reflect the testator’s final wishes) this could be used to distribute the estate. If no will is found at all the Laws of Intestacy will then apply.
Where should a will be stored?
Searching for a will causes delay in the administration of the estate. You need to keep your will safe and secure where it can be protected and preserved and always be found.
Leaving a will stored with a solicitor – Many solicitors offer free will storage, this is because your will is valuable to them as secured future probate business. However, many solicitors go out of business or they amalgamate with other firms and change names and it can be impossible to track down the will.
Leaving a will with a storage company – Most will storage companies charge an annual fee but it cannot be known exactly how they are storing your will. In the past it has been discovered that will storage companies have been storing wills in a loft at home or in a garage – recently some wills were found dumped in a skip by a company that went out of business.
Leaving a will in a safety deposit box – This is not a good idea because relatives will not be able to gain access to the box until probate has been obtained – and probate cannot be obtained because the will is in the safety deposit box.
Leaving a will with the Principal Probate Registry – We believe that this is the best possible option for storing a will. The High Court of Justice, Principal Probate Registry in London will ensure that you won’t have to worry about where you have put your will – it is already with the Probate Service; unlike solicitors and storage companies, they will not go out of business; they will not attempt to sell lucrative estate administration; there are no annual charges, just a one-off storage fee – and it is free of charge to withdraw a will.
STORAGE OFFER
Store your will at the High Court of Justice
Principal Registry of the Family Division
- We will act as an Agent for you to store your will for safekeeping at what we believe is the best possible place that a will can be stored - the Probate Service at the High Court of Justice in London.
- We will provide the necessary administration and storage envelope required to store your will.
- We will send it to the Principal Probate Registry by registered post.
- We will provide you with a bound copy of your will to keep at home containg details of how to withdraw your will from safekeeping.
The Probate Registry will send you a Certificate of Deposit within a few weeks to keep with the copy of your will.
For a one-off fee:
££39.00 per person
No annual charges
No worries about safety
No problem finding it - it is already with Probate Service
No worry about solicitors or storage company becoming insolvent
Free withdrawal
STORE A WILL AT
