• Storage

Storage

The original versions of legal documents, such as Wills and Lasting power of attorney are the only legally binding versions. Scans, photocopies and computer records are not legally binding as they do not have your original signatures on them.

The original Will is the only Will and must be kept safely.  There are risks of keeping the original Will at home. There is a risk of damage through fire, flood or burglary. Most people would also like to keep their Wills confidential as beneficiaries might change with changing circumstances.We offer a number of solutions to our clients in this regard.

Discover the benefits of Safe storage

Physical Storage

All Clients’ Wills are stored with ‘The National Will Archive’.

The National Will Archive facility is a unique national, central, storage facility for Wills that overcomes all of the problems of safely caring for important legal documents. Apart from the Will, we can also store other important documents such as Power of attorneys, Trust documents, and Title deeds etc. All legal documents are kept in a waterproof wallet in a specialist document archive facility.

The National Will Archive provides you with storage certificates and plastic identity cards for you and your executors. They display your name, a unique storage reference number and The National Will Archive’s contact details.

You can access your documents at any time- free of charge. The documents can either be returned to your professional adviser or directly to you, using an insured delivery service.

When your Executors need to access your Will, they can contact your professional adviser or can contact The National Will Archive directly. All they need to do is provide The National Will Archive with a death certificate and their proof of identification.

Digital Inheritance Vault

A Digital Inheritance Vault enables the secure online storage and management of all of the information that comprises an inheritance plan with provision for the rapid and efficient completion of the probate process.

We have partnered with Bluecoat Software to provide the most secure online systems available. All data is held in ‘the cloud’, in UK based data centres accredited to the ISO 27001 standard. Regular tests, carried out by UK government accredited agencies, have shown that the security standards maintained by Bluecoat Software are among the highest in the industry.

The digital inheritance vault enables you to:

  • Store any document; not just Wills or Power of attorney but other key documents to assist probate or to protect the most important personal memories.
  • Store any file; not just documents but music and video too.
  • Helps you keep passwords secure.
  • Use a standard folder structure to organize different elements for the Executors.
  • Set permissions on who can access which section of your Vault.
  • Speed access to key documents when probate is required or for an executor. The Society of Will Writers estimate that the time required for probate will be shortened by 3 to 4 months if the digital vault is used.
  • Know the documents are protected in a secure system which is government security tested and certified to ISO standards as well as key regulatory compliance standards.

Maintenance – Updates & Reviews

We realize that a Will is a life document and hence will need to be updated with changes in our client’s circumstances. Changes in legislation and tax laws will also mean there could be better or more efficient ways of passing on things to your beneficiaries. With this in mind, for a small fee we are able to conduct regular reviews and update your Wills when required.