The National Will Archive, our document storage service, provides safe and secure Will storage based in Lincoln at Unit 2 Blackwood Court, Teal Park, LN6 3AE. We currently hold over 120,000 legal documents, and those include but are not limited to: Wills, Lasting Power of Attorney documents, Advance Directives and Tenancy Severance documentation and property deeds. Documents are tracked on our system by being scanned and databased on arrival at and departure from our storage facility. Our Will store also holds a high number of recovered Wills issued by private organisations which have stopped trading and handed over their Wills to the National Will Archive for safe storage.
A for Accessibility.
One of the most important factors to consider when a Will is stored is knowing the physical location of the Will so that it can be accessed, located, and retrieved when the time arises for it to be executed. The Executors named in the Will need to know where the Will is before they can apply for probate to carry out the wishes of the person who made the Will. To ensure each Will is discoverable and searchable, every client of the National Will Archive:
- Is sent a Certificate of Safe Storage with us and provided with a Custody Reference Number.
- Is sent two Executor Cards, to be passed on to Executors so they know where the Will is.
- Is given the option to register their Will with ‘Certainty’, the UK’s National Will Register.
B for Backup.
As well as scanning all documents on-site on arrival at and departure from our storage facility, we backup all scanned documents and client records off-site as well. This enables us to be able to replace or resurrect every scanned and backed up document. In the event that we are unable to locate a Will or where a Will is lost in transit, which is extremely rare, we are also able to ‘certify’ copies of each Will and associated documents, rendering them valid, legal, and admissible to probate.
C for Checks.
All Wills deposited or stored at the National Will Archive, are checked to make sure they are properly signed, witnessed, and attested. This is in accordance with the validity requirements for Wills under Section 9 of Wills Act 1837.
The friendly and helpful staff at the National Will Archive are happy to answer any questions you may have regarding Will storage and can be contacted on 01522 581430 or at www.thenationalwillarchive.co.uk.
