At least 60% of the population of Britain die intestate, meaning that they did not have a valid Will at the time of death. The problems caused by intestacy have been well documented. Although a large part of this 60% represent people that have never had a Will in the first place, many of them are people that have had a valid Will but it has been lost or damaged in some way. Usually, it is either that the person has not stored their Will responsibly, or that they have not put a system in place to allow their executors to find and act upon it when necessary, often both.
Wills are often lost in the disruptive moving process as a person grows older and needs to downsize or move into a nursing home- sometimes not by the mover themselves but by a family member or friend assisting with the move. Occasionally Wills are lost or damaged in a fire or flood when stored at home. If the testator themselves were to perish in the fire or flood, or if they had lost the mental capacity to execute a Will, then again this would lead to intestacy.
When dealing with the administration of an estate, the deceased’s representatives must obtain the original Will. A copy simply will not suffice. Disgruntled family members and dependents that have been left out of a Will have been known to take advantage of this fact by destroying or hiding the original Will, thereby gaining more from the estate due to the rules of intestacy (certain family members and dependents would automatically inherit).
Storing your Will safely in a secure location such as the National Will Depository is a simple solution to all of the above issues. We will take care of your Will at a secure location for as long as required and release it to you whenever you like, or to your executors when appropriate (usually upon the submission of your death certificate). We will provide Certificates of Safe Custody for both you and your executors, so as to provide a clear reminder of where your Will can be found.
Our fully inclusive fee to store and register your Will for a lifetime is £215. We offer a very special rate for our customers over the age of 60, £185. All of our Wills are registered with the National Will Register, so that they can always be located even in the event of you or your executors losing your certificates. Please complete the application form below and submit this together with your Will to The National Will Depository, Stronsay House, Beacon Crescent, Hindhead, Surrey GU26 6UG.
If you would like fill the form in using a pen (black ink please) you can do so by downloading and printing off the form using the below link