Making a Will and Lasting Powers of Attorney is only half the job. Your family also needs to be able to find them. Estate planning document accessibility means making sure the right people know where your important papers are, and can reach them quickly when they need to. This guide explains how to organise your documents so your family is not left searching at a difficult time.
Why estate planning document accessibility matters
A valid Will that nobody can find causes almost as many problems as having no Will at all. If your executors do not know it exists, or cannot find the original, they may have to treat your estate as if there were no Will. The same applies to Lasting Powers of Attorney. Your attorneys need the registered document to show banks and care providers that they have authority to act.
Gaps like these do not make your documents invalid. However, they can cost your family hours or days of phone calls and searching. Often this happens just after a bereavement or a sudden illness, when people have the least time and energy.
The drawer test
Here is a simple test. If you were not here tomorrow, could someone you trust find everything they need to manage your affairs?
Many people have done the legal work but not the practical part. For example, the Will is stored safely, but no one has been told where. The LPAs are registered, but the attorneys do not have copies. Insurance policies sit with several providers, and there is no list of them anywhere.
Travel, a hospital stay or planned surgery often brings these questions into focus. Nonetheless, the same planning matters if something happens at work, at home or on a weekend away.
Five questions your family should be able to answer
1. Where is your Will?
At least one trusted person, ideally your executor, should know where your original Will is kept. They also need the contact details of whoever wrote or stores it. Mentioning it once years ago is not enough, because documents get moved and people forget.
2. Can your attorneys reach your LPAs?
Your attorneys should know they have been appointed and where the registered LPAs are kept. An LPA can only be used once the Office of the Public Guardian has registered it. So check that registration is complete and that your attorneys can reach the documents or the OPG’s online access codes. GOV.UK explains how Lasting Powers of Attorney work.
3. What do you own and owe?
Your family does not need to know every detail of your finances. Even so, someone should have a rough picture: which banks you use, and any savings, investments, pensions or insurance policies. Also note where your property deeds are kept and any loans, mortgages or credit cards.
4. Who should your family contact?
List the professionals involved in your affairs. This might include your Will writer, accountant, financial adviser, insurers and pension providers. Having their details in one place saves a great deal of time.
5. What are your immediate wishes?
Some decisions need making quickly, before the Will is read. For instance, would you prefer burial or cremation? Do you have wishes about your funeral, and have you recorded your organ donation choice? If you have a funeral plan, note the provider and plan number. Funeral plans have been regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority since 29 July 2022.
Creating your document guide
You do not need anything elaborate. A short document that brings this information together works well. Many people type it up, print a copy and keep it with their other important papers.
Your guide might include:
- where your original Will is stored, and who holds it
- your LPAs, whether they are registered and where they are kept
- a list of bank accounts, pensions, insurance policies and property, with provider contact details
- the names and contact details of your professional advisers
- your funeral wishes and any funeral plan details
- where to find information about your online accounts
Online accounts and passwords need extra care. Our resources page includes a guide to digital assets, which explains how to give your executors access without risking your security while you are alive.
Telling the right people
A guide that nobody knows about does not help. So have a short conversation with your executors and attorneys. Show them where your guide is and explain how to reach your documents. You do not need to share the contents of your Will.
Most people find this conversation practical rather than morbid. Their family usually feels reassured too.
Storing your original Will safely
Your original signed Will is the document your executors will need. A copy is not normally enough. Keeping it at home is possible, but papers can be lost, damaged or thrown away by mistake.
Our Safe Will Plan keeps your original Will in fireproof storage, with a password-protected copy and an annual reminder to check it still suits you. When the time comes, we release the Will to your executors. That means your family needs only one phone number to find it.
Review your arrangements regularly
Life changes. You may move house, switch banks, take out new policies or appoint new attorneys. Advisers retire and companies merge. As a result, your document guide can go out of date surprisingly quickly.
A quick check once a year is usually enough to keep your estate planning document accessibility up to date. So confirm where everything is, update contact details and make sure the right people still know what they need to know.
Taking the first step
You do not have to sort everything at once. Start with one thing. For example, tell your executor where your Will is, or gather your insurance documents into one folder. Each small step makes things easier for the people you care about.
How A.D.E. Wills can help
A.D.E. Wills prepares Wills and Lasting Powers of Attorney for clients in Oxford, Aylesbury and the surrounding area, and online. Edward can also talk you through estate planning document accessibility: how to store your documents and who should know where they are.
If you would like to make a new Will, set up LPAs or store your Will with us, call 01865 507174 or email info@adewills.co.uk.
