Paper free - what documents can I safely get rid of?

nads205 · 7 December 2012 at 12:21AM

Hi guys,

I recently bought one of these PDF paper scanners (a Fujitsu one as it goes). It's a fantastic device and worth every penny of it's pricey £300+ price tag. The net result is now everything is organised wonderfully on my PC and backed up to my Dropbox.

My question relates to documents regarding property - mortgage documents including documents that were given at exchange of contract etc. What can I scan and shred and what *must* I keep?

Wutang_2 · 7 December 2012 at 7:45AM

I am also eager to hear the answer to this as I am in an identical situation.

nads205 · 9 December 2012 at 2:57PM

Anyone must be someone here who can help.

Moderator - feel free to move this thread to a more relevant forum if you feel it will help?

Thanks.

thegirlintheattic · 9 December 2012 at 4:18PM

I would not shred property documents end of.

Gentoo365 · 9 December 2012 at 6:25PM

Why shred them? It's not like they will take up much space.

Given that it is in the lenders best interest to keep records itself (to avoid future claims) and it is also in their best interest to ensure that the house purchase was legal and compliant you could in theory shred everything.

However when you come to sell you may save a bit of money, time and effort if you have paper copies of all the legal faff in case it is requested by a solicitor.

I know that most banks and insurance companies scan all documents for ease of access, but then still box them all up and store them in big warehouses just in case. So there must be some legal benefit to having 'originals'.

Adam_Overmiller · 9 December 2012 at 6:39PM

While documents have always been important in the history of humankind since the first use of stone tablets, sometimes they contain sensitive information that could cause tremendous problems if they got into the wrong hands. For instance, documents with information about your social security number, past addresses and phone numbers, credit card information, bank statements, and financial records could be used for identity theft.:j

nads205 · 11 December 2012 at 12:10AM

Fair enough I will keep them for now!

I just don't see the need to keep the clutter if you can keep an electronic copy that's all.

YoungBusinessman · 11 December 2012 at 10:49AM

For all it is, couple bits of paper. If you shred them you may regret it, if you don't shred you are not as likely to regret holding onto them.

Paper free - what documents can I safely get rid of?

Comments

Categories

Get our FREE Weekly email full of deals & guides - and it’s spam-free