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At Willdata we manage data relating to the whereabouts of Wills.
Currently in the UK, unlike most other European countries, there is still
no legal requirement to register either the location of a Will or even
that a Will exists. It is left to the individual to ensure that their
most recent Will can be found. Even though it may be stored in a safe
place, if nobody knows where it is, it will remain there for eternity.
The vaults of Banks, Will Writers, Solicitors and secure Storage Companies
contain many Wills that are 'lost'.
Our customers can register the location of their own Will or submit a
Search Request for the location of a 'lost' Will using our service.
We do not store the Will itself or a copy of the Will nor do we have any
details as to what may be written in the Will.
Registering your own Will
Once a Will Registration Form has been submitted
to Willdata, the details are held securely on our bespoke database until
the Will is needed. The database is not directly accessible from the internet
so your details are extremely safe and secure. Upon receipt of a Search
Request, only the last registered location will be released. No other
details about you will be given.
Search for a 'lost' Will
Anyone can submit a Search Request Form to enquire
whether we hold information relating to the location of an individual's
Will.
Sometimes people may be known by a different name than the one on their
birth certificate, or maybe they used a different spelling. Because of
these factors, a fully automated system would give an incorrect result
which could have a huge impact on the administration of a deceased persons
estate. We oversee all searches manually as an additional safeguard and
email you the results.
If you have details of a Will Writer or Solicitor that you believe may
have written the Will but who is now not contactable, we will try to trace
them for you and ascertain whether the Will you are looking for is still
held by them or is now held by someone else.
Only the Executors of a Will, a legal professional with appropriate authority,
or the person whose Will it is can retrieve a Will.
We work closely with Legal Practitioners in accordance with the Data Protection
Act. (See our Terms and Conditions) and we employ the services of a Solicitor
to ensure that our service meets and exceeds all privacy and security
regulations.
Due to the voluntary nature of Will registration we cannot guarantee to
be 100% successful, but our service is proven and we have helped many
families at what is a very difficult and distressing time.
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