Keep your original will somewhere safe from fire and flood, and make sure your executors know where it is. If they cannot find it, your wishes may not be carried out.
Your options
| Where | Cost | Things to know |
|---|---|---|
| At home, in a fireproof box away from flood risk | Free | Tell your executors where it is, and how to open the box |
| The Probate Service | £24, one-off | Post it to the Newcastle District Probate Registry; you get a certificate back (gov.uk) |
| The National Will Safe, our partner | Annual fee | Fire- and flood-proof storage, registered with Certainty, and posted back to you whenever you ask |
| With your solicitor or will writer | Varies | Ask whether they charge, and keep a note of who holds it |
Our partner: the National Will Safe
We work with the National Will Safe, which stores wills in fire- and flood-proof conditions for an annual fee. It registers each will with Certainty, the National Will Register. Whenever you want your will back, for example to check or update it, it posts it to you with a freepost secure return envelope.
What to avoid
- Locked safes nobody else can open. If your executors do not know the will is there, or cannot get in, it is as good as lost.
- Bank safe deposit boxes. Some banks will not release the contents until probate is granted, and probate needs the original will. Check your bank's policy first.
- Attaching anything to it. Keep your letter of wishes alongside the will, never stapled or clipped to it.
Register where it is
Certainty, the National Will Register records where a will is kept, not what it says, so your executors can find it.