Would Your Loved Ones Know Where to Find Your Will?
16th December 2016
What’s the point of making a will if your loved ones don’t know where to find it when you die? In a recent survey, 67% of people did not know where to find their parents’ wills. Every firm I know holds wills of people who have died – wills that were never collected by the deceased person’s family. It’s not surprising then that tens of thousands of estates fall into intestacy each year.
Changing circumstances, moving to another area or simply the passage of time can sometimes make it difficult for beneficiaries to locate a will. And then, of course, there are the people who deliberately “lose” wills to achieve a more favourable result for themselves (for example, someone who has been “cut out” of a will).
The solution is to register your will on the Certainty National Will Register. The idea is similar to the Land Registry; both registries hold electronic information only. The Land Registry records ownership of land and the will registry records the location of your will. Unlike property registration which is now compulsory, registration of wills is voluntary. However, the cost to register a will is a fraction of the cost of property registration and it potentially protects more than just your house ending up in the wrong hands.
Not all firms of solicitors are registered with Certainty (for instance firms who do not specialise in will writing). When choosing a solicitor, look for the Certainty logo so that you can be sure you’ll be able to register your will once you’ve made it.
If you’ve already made a will but would like the peace of mind of registering it on the national will register, you can easily move your will to a Certainty registered firm. Will registration fees vary depending on the date of your will, but an average fee is only £25 plus VAT.
What does the will registry do?
- It digitally records where your will is being stored; no-one can see the will
- It means the location of your will can easily be found by your family
- It helps to prevent will forgery and probate fraud
- After a death, it provides details about anyone who is looking for your will
- It protects both your privacy and your beneficiaries’ interests
If you would like more information, please feel free to call me on 024 76 531532.
Karen Shakespeare
Solicitor