When making a Will, people focus on choosing the right executor, specifying their wishes, and making the document legally binding. One critical aspect is often overlooked: where you store it. The right storage protects your Will's validity, keeps it accessible, and guards it against damage, theft or loss.
Why Will storage matters
- Validity — a Will must be properly executed and stored to be considered valid; poor storage can cause confusion and legal complications
- Accessibility — if your family or executor cannot find your Will, probate is delayed and complicated
- Safety — a Will holds sensitive information, and proper storage protects it from damage, theft or loss
Where should you store it?
At home
Convenient, but make sure it is both safe and accessible: use a fireproof and waterproof safe, and tell a trusted person, ideally your executor, exactly where it is.
At a professional storage facility
Purpose-built for the job, with fireproof vaults, surveillance and insurance. There may be a fee, but it offers real peace of mind. Our Will Storage & Updates service keeps your original Will in secure, fireproof premises, with a digital backup and a storage certificate so your executors know exactly where to find it. Updates are unlimited at no extra cost under our fair use policy, see our Will Storage & Updates page.
What happens if your Will cannot be found?
If it cannot be found, it is treated as if it never existed, and the estate is distributed under the rules of intestacy, a process that can take years, and is all the more frustrating if your family know you made a Will but not where it is. A copy is not a valid substitute for the original: the assumption is that the original was destroyed deliberately, so a copy would need sworn affidavits from witnesses and the executor, plus a detailed account of how the original was lost, and the court may still reject it.
Tips for storing your Will
- Inform your executor where it is stored
- Use proper containers — waterproof and fireproof, if storing at home
- Keep it up to date, reviewing it as your circumstances change
- Consider professional storage for guaranteed security and accessibility
Will storage is a critical part of estate planning that is too easily overlooked. Storing your Will in a safe, accessible place keeps it valid, protected and ready when your executor needs it. We help families across North Somerset, Bristol and Bath store and maintain their Wills with complete peace of mind.