Apparently, 2/3rds of people don’t know where to find their parents’ Wills. That is a surprisingly high proportion. I always recommend clients to involve their families in their planning as much as they can, subject to them wanting to keep some matters private, and suggest that they tell their children who has advised them and that we are holding their wills.
We give clients a copy of their signed Will and generally, when the family come in for advice after someone has died, they often have the copy with them.
But still, we have Wills that we have been holding for so long that either people must have made Wills elsewhere or they have died without the family knowing that we held the Will in the first place. And in these times where people move more often to live in far flung places, the risk of the Will not being found on their death is increasing all the time. What a waste, to spend time, effort and money on making a Will that then is never found. Auntie Maud’s China cabinet may never find its rightful owner.
We keep an accurate database of all the Wills which we hold, even the really, really old ones, and if someone (with the right evidence that they have a right to know) enquires directly, we will be able to tell them we have it. In other cases, when someone comes to us and is not sure whether the person who has died had left a Will, then we have to write to all local lawyers to see if they have one for them. But that won’t catch everybody and won’t reveal if they have made a Will out of town.
Certainty, the National Registry of Wills has now developed a National Database so that solicitors across the country can log the existence of Wills in a central place. This ensures that your Will is easily traceable by your beneficiaries and not overlooked.
What does the registry of Wills do?
• The registry records that we hold your Will; no one there sees it, and we keep it here.
• Following your death, the registry gives us details about anyone who is looking for your Will.
• We answer the query if it is legitimate, but if not we ignore it, thus protecting both your privacy and your beneficiaries.
Poole Townsend has become a member of the Certainty National Registry of Wills and on joining we were given the chance to register all of our existing Wills without charge. But for confidentiality reasons, we cannot do it without our clients’ permission.
If you made a Will with us before August this year, you are entitled to a free registration. Why not come to see us to ensure your Will is up to date first. If it is okay as it up to date, then we will simply register it for free! If it needs work, then we will tell you what you need and how much it will cost.
To take advantage of this offer simply phone 01229 811811 (then select option 1) and ask for Jane or Zoe or email us at enquiries@pooletownsend.co.uk
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