When you make a Will you have peace of mind knowing that your wishes
have been set out so that those you wish to benefit from your decisions can
do so without question. Provided, of course, that your Will can be located.

So what do you do when you can't find the Will of a deceased person, even though
you are confident they left one?

Many people think that Wills must be registered when they are made and that there is a central “Wills database”. Unfortunately, this is not the case. There are no rules on how Wills are stored and there is certainly no legal requirement to register a Will.

Everyone should be aware when they make their Will just how important it is to inform all potential beneficiaries of where their original document is held. Where There Is A Will is designed to make it easy.

What could be some of the consequences of your Will not being located?

• The Courts will decide on how your assets are to be distributed, and this may be different to your wishes. In some circumstances, this action could also involve extra costs.
• The beneficiaries of your choice – be they individuals, church bodies, charities or animal welfare societies to name a few – may not receive what you wanted to leave them. They may only receive part or, in some cases, nothing at all.
• Family disputes may arise, as without your instructions the remaining family members will be unsure who was to receive what from your estate.

Benefits of registering your Will with Where There Is A Will include:

• The peace of mind knowing you have not only left a Will but you have made it easy for your beneficiaries to find it.
• If you have changed your Will, you know that these final wishes will be acted on, not the instructions of an out-of-date, earlier Will.
• There is an enduring record of the whereabouts of your Will. Your next-of-kin may not even be aware that you have left a Will, but a quick check of Where There Is A Will can save time and avoid messy family situations.
• You remove the risk of people you have entrusted with the details of the whereabouts of your Will forgetting as their recall fades with time. Why should they remember the location of your Will? Perhaps they may have pre-deceased you, moved away or become mentally impaired.
• This website removes all risks, doubts and concerns.

A sobering thought is that finding a “lost” Will may not be as easy as you would believe. While it may be difficult to broach the subject of Wills with your loved ones, as with many aspects of life, prevention is the best policy.

Having the details of your Will recorded on the Where There Is A Will website removes that concern.