When it comes to storing legal documents there are a range of options available to you, whether you’re a Will Writer, Solicitor or a client of either. But when it comes to choosing a storage provider, how can you be certain that the service you’re getting reflects the cost, or perhaps lack of? Some providers will offer you storage at no cost but likely on the basis they can potentially recover this later down the line through another service such as probate and estate administration. Whilst there are no problems with companies doing this, offering a free service in the first instance often means very little work is actually done in securing the safety of your important documents. The National Will Archive does things differently, and we’ll explain why below.
Firstly, at The National Will Archive we check all documents that come into our store. This means we check your documents are signed and witnessed correctly and that any beneficiaries haven’t also been witnesses, thus invalidating the gift as the document survives but the beneficiary who witnesses the will loses their entitlement.
Secondly, we scan each page individually using our specialised scanners all without having to disassemble the document. This means that should a document ever go missing after it’s left our store, we’re able to provide a copy along with an affidavit to say that the document existed and that we have seen it.
Thirdly, we log the document onto our database along with the scanned copy before submitting the physical copy into a dedicated box within our facility.
When the time comes for the document to be retrieved from store, we will perform the same process in reverse and send the documents out either by Royal Mail Signed For, or Special Delivery before 1PM for extra security. This is all managed by our full-time staff who are on hand from 9am-5pm to assist with any queries you might have. This does mean that we cannot do all this for free and we stand by this because you simply can’t get this level of service anywhere else.
Find out more at www.thenationalwillarchive.co.uk.
