Secure Document Storage
Keeping your Will safe
Why is storing my Will safely important?
Your Will is one of the most important documents you own and storing it in a safe and secure location where your Executors (and no-one else!) can find it when they need it after you have died is critical.
A lost, damaged, or destroyed Will cannot be replaced after your death and a copy of your Will is not legally valid. This means it could be treated as though you have not made a Will in the first place. This means you are deemed to have died Intestate and the Government effectively writes a Will for you. This can result in your wishes not being followed and the people that you want to Inherit your possessions and money might not do so.
While there is no legal requirement as to where you must register, deposit, or store your Will, we would recommend that you always use a secure document storage facility or provider. This provides a far greater level of protection against accidental loss, fire, flood damage or theft.
Wherever you decide to keep it, make sure you tell your Executors where it is so that they can find it quickly after your death. Remember to remind them every few years, or if you move to a new house or change the location let them know!
How do you store your Will?
Some people choose to keep their Will in their house with their other important documents. It is a free solution and without any ongoing costs and charges!
While you might think your home is the easiest place for your Executors to find your Will the great disadvantage is that it is susceptible to accidental damage which will invalidate it. Unfortunately, fire, flooding, damp, mould, and spillages are common events. If you misplace your Will, accidentally dispose of it or your Executors can’t find your Will, it will have costly consequences for your Estate and Probate.
You could choose to invest in a fire-proof safe and store your Will in a sealed plastic bag, although the cost may far outweigh the cost of storing it elsewhere.
Can I store my Will with other documents?
The short answer is yes, and it is a great idea to keep all of your important paperwork together. However, never attach other documents to your Will, as staple or paperclip marks, glue and sticky tape can raise questions about whether the Will has been tampered with, or whether pages and amendments are missing. This could make if far more difficult for your Executors to obtain the authority to carry out your wishes.
Who can I store my Will With?
Most people recognise that storing their Will securely is the most practical and sensible option. Using a secure storage provider means you and your Executors know where your Will and legal documents are at all times. They can’t be lost, damaged or misplaced and the secure storage provider takes the liability and responsibility if anything happens to your Will, while under their secure storage.
Storing your Will with your solicitor or a bank
Both your solicitor and your bank are likely to offer to store your Will for free or at low cost.
While this sounds very generous of them, they know that as the keeper of your Will, your Executors must come to them when you die. At that point, they might be able to persuade your Executors to let them handle Probate, the work of administering your estate.
Your Executors have no obligation to accept the offer – they can still carry out Probate themselves. Your bank will outsource the Probate work to a solicitor and charge a margin on top.
Solicitors might store your Will on their premises, but also might send it to an outsourced storage business that can keep it far more safely and can insure it. You should check where your solicitor will store it.
There are normally charges for both registering where your Will is kept and for retrieving that information.
Before committing to anything, check with your solicitor what the fees are for putting the Will into storage, to continue storing it, and to retrieve it from storage.
Will storage services and companies
Will storage companies offer much the same service as your solicitor; however, their prices tend to be far lower.
Redwood Wills & Trusts are pleased to offer a Secure Storage Service for our Clients, in partnership with our trusted secure document storage provider Kings Court, a long-established document management and secure document storage provider.
Redwood Financial Will Storage Plans
Our Clients have access to secure document storage rates that start at just £45 a year for our Essential Storage Plan and £145 a year for our Storage Plus Plan:
Essential Storage Plan
- Redwood Wills & Trusts are responsible for your document’s safekeeping
- Estate Planning Document storage in a secure, purpose-built storage facility
- Easy access to your Estate Planning documents whenever you need them
- Unlimited copies of your Will and other legal documents for your reference
- Loss or invalidity replacement costs through incorrect storage met in full by Redwood
Storage Plus Plan
- Includes everything in our Essential Storage Plan above, plus:
- The freedom to make unlimited amendments to your Wills, Formal & Informal Letters
- Secure document storage for your other important documents e.g. house deeds, life insurance deeds, birth and marriage certificates etc.
Why should I use Redwood's secure document storage services?
With our secure storage facilities, our Essential Storage Plan will keep all your Estate Planning documents together in one secure location, accessible as and when you need them. At just £45 per year, that is less than 12p per day! This offers exceptional value for your essential storage needs.
Through our comprehensive Storage Plan Plus, you will have all of the benefits of our Essentials Storage Plan, with the added benefits of unlimited amendments to your Wills, Formal & Informal Letters at no extra cost. You can also add other important documents to your storage plan, such as House Deeds and Marriage Certificates, at no extra cost.
This package is ideal for those who want complete peace of mind about all their important documentation and financial plans, with the flexibility to change, add and remove content at any time without cost. At just £145 per year, you can be confident you are fully protected for just 40p per day.
Not only do our document storage services provide a high level of security for you and your most important documents in a safe storage facility, but they also make personal records management simpler and free up your home office space too!
How do I arrange for you to store my important legal documents?
The vast majority of our existing Clients have already chosen to secure their Wills with one of our Secure Storage plans and we would always discuss the options with you as part of any planning you undertake with us.
However, we are also pleased to be able to offer this as a standalone service should this be your preference. Simply call us on 01489877 547 or email info@redwoodfinancial.co.uk for more information.
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Steven Blofield
Trusted by our clients
Steve Blofield and his team are excellent! Friendly and helpful advice is readily at hand and has opened my eyes to the importance of estate planning. A brief phone conversation is always followed by a comprehensive email. This firm deserves its awards and excellent reputation.
