Will lost in post

shiraz99

grayson said:

Keep_pedalling said:

grayson said:

Just contacted my sister and she has photos of Will before it was posted.

That should make life easier.

What address did you send it to?

HMCTS probate, po box 12625, Harlow, CM20 9QE.

Letter was delivered to Chelmsford MC CM2 6ZZ

As I keep saying, Chelmsford MC is the Royal Mail's main sorting office/mail centre that the post would've gone to. It may well be, and I can't confirm unfortunately, that this is where the PO Box is actually administered therefore having signed for at the MC is possibly correct and it's actually in the system rather than being lost.

Maybe if someone else who recently sent theirs via a tracked method could check where it was signed for? Also, another thing to take into account is the postal strikes which could cause things to be handled differently.

shiraz99

Whilst I can't check the tracking when I sent my will, I do have something that I sent via Special Delivery at the beginning of the week and I can confirm that the last thing it says on the tracking history is "Delivered and Signed" with the name of the last sorting office that handled it, it doesn't show the recipient address on the tracking info. I think you may be worrying over nothing here.

grayson

It was delivered and signed for at Chelmsford MC. Person who signed is displayed as BANTEC. strange name.
Thanks all so far. 

user1977

MovingForwards said:

Chelmsford MC CM2 6ZZ is the delivery office.

If probate don't accept the photos then it's an intestate estate, distributed as per intestacy rules.

Edit to add link

https://www.gov.uk/inherits-someone-dies-without-will

That link is about people who died without making a Will. We're talking about someone who did make a Will.

I don't know about English procedure, but certainly in Scotland if this happens you can apply to court with evidence of what the Will (or any other lost deed) said, and the surrounding circumstances, and you end up with a judgement which is legally as effective as the original Will. I'd be surprised if English law presumed the estate was intestate just because somebody loses the original Will post-death.

ETA: seems to be similar procedure for England:

https://www.georgeide.co.uk/blog/general/applying-for-grant-of-probate-all-is-not-lost-with-a-lost-will/

molerat

Signed for by BANTEC or BANCTEC ?  BancTec is a data processing company in Harlow who supply outsourced document scanning services etc.

Flugelhorn

Certainly BANCTEC are related to EXELA who upload the wills digitally and also are checking them for fraud 

grayson

Says BANTEC

grayson

Could all wills go to Banctec now then passed onto probate office? BANTEC may be a mistake when it was signed for. Too much of a coincidence.

shiraz99

grayson said:

It was delivered and signed for at Chelmsford MC. Person who signed is displayed as BANTEC. strange name.
Thanks all so far. 

How do you know it was signed for at Chelmsford MC? If you read my earlier post the last destination on the tracking history is usually the last delivery office (DO) or mail centre (MC) not the recipient address.

Flugelhorn

grayson said:

Could all wills go to Banctec now then passed onto probate office? BANTEC may be a mistake when it was signed for. Too much of a coincidence.

Google BANCTEC or EXELA - there are some articles about them