There is a flat fee of £20
for this, and you can
retrieve it at any time at
no extra cost. It can only
be retrieved by yourself
in your lifetime, using
the PA7A form from
the Principal Probate
Registry in London,
returning it with the
certificate of deposit.
After your death, your
executors will need to
do this instead.
The final option is to
keep the Will yourself,
whether it be in a safe,
or anywhere else you
like. Storing at home is
a free option, however
it comes with the risk
of the document being
lost,
thrown
away
or
even
destroyed
altogether. In such
cases, you must notify
your executors where it
is kept, and keep them
updated to any changes
to its location.
Something to remember
is that if you have a
bank safe-deposit box
and you pass away, it
cannot be opened until
a grant of representation
has been issued. To
apply for the grant, your
executors will need the
original Will and three
copies. The issue here is
that if you store your Will
in one of these boxes,
your executors will be
unable to access it after
you have passed. You
will need to withdraw
it before your death,
however this can be
difficult when you may
never know when that
time will come. In this
case we advise to avoid
storing your Will by this
method.
The Society of Will Writers
21