Certified Copies of a Will

Hal17

Can I please request some advise on the following? I am the sole Executor for my mother-in-laws estate and was wondering in what circumstances I might need to have a certified copy of her will.

I am applying for Probate so will provide the original copy with the application. I need to send a copy to Lloyds Bank, but no mention of a certified copy. Less than £20K in the account. My only other major responsibility is to sell her house worth around £300K. Appreciate any thoughts on your experience. Thanks.

Flugelhorn

I got one done before sending the will off to the probate office - just in case they lost it! solicitor did it in the reception of the offices, cost me £5.  I think the back did their own certified copy for the release of funds when I took the original in.

When my father died I got a couple done at the funeral by uncle who was the solicitor who had written the will in the first place - I don't seem to remember actually  needing to send them anywhere in the end

YBR

I think we needed copies of the death certificate but not the will.

Hal17

Thank you both. That was a good suggestion in case the original gets lost. I will call a local family solicitor tomorrow and arrange for two copies to be signed. You are correct YBR, it is the death certificate the bank needs not a copy of the will.

p00hsticks

I scanned the original will prior to sending it off to the probate office, just in case it went missing ( I sent it via tracked post) - being very careful not to unattach any of the pages. 

I was asked for a copy of it several times - when setting up an executors account and when sorting out death in service payments and a DC pension that the person hadn't made an expression of wish for - but in each case I just printed off a copy of my scanned version - there was no insistence that it should be a certified copy.

BooJewels

p00hsticks said:

I scanned the original will prior to sending it off to the probate office, just in case it went missing ( I sent it via tracked post) - being very careful not to unattach any of the pages. 

I was asked for a copy of it several times - when setting up an executors account and when sorting out death in service payments and a DC pension that the person hadn't made an expression of wish for - but in each case I just printed off a copy of my scanned version - there was no insistence that it should be a certified copy.

Much the same as I have done in the recent estates I've been executing.  I've been asked for a copy of the will several times and a simple print of my scan sufficed in many cases.  But I did need to produce a certified copy twice recently and both were when claiming a pension pot.  Even though in all cases, the expression of wishes had been completed - and checked on - in good time. 

As mentioned elsewhere, I've found that the greater the sum of money involved, the more hoops you're expected to jump through.  One pension pot was only 72 quid and they paid out just from me filling in their web enquiry form - I was expecting forms and got a cheque!  The others weren't quite so easy.  NS&I on the other hand made me jump through a preposterous amount of hoops over many weeks and the payout was £4.20!  Considering that they wouldn't even tell me how much was involved, that was somewhat of a disappointment, after the effort.

buddy9

Hal17 said:

........I need to send a copy to Lloyds Bank, but no mention of a certified copy......

For some banks, there is the ability to take documents into the local branch (if there is one) where they are scanned and uploaded onto their system. Avoids the need for posting. 

RoseBerni

I got a certified copy of the will because my fathers house was left to my son & my sister but I’m the executor 
When I asked about getting the money from the house paid direct to the beneficiaries they said they would need to see a certified copy of the wIll 

thegreenone

If you go into a branch, take the Will with you.  HSBC wanted to see it and I had to go all the home, collect it and all the way back!  They may not want to see it but on the other hand, they may!

p00hsticks

thegreenone said:

If you go into a branch, take the Will with you.  HSBC wanted to see it and I had to go all the home, collect it and all the way back!  They may not want to see it but on the other hand, they may!

same here, but with NatWest, even though it wasn't on the list of things they said they'd want to see.