How to Copy a Will? Should I?

t8769

Is there any point in making a copy of a will that is signed?

I heard I could photocopy the will, then have the copy witnessed by two people, to make a legal copy.

Is this of any use or any different from just a photocopy?


Thank you

Keep_pedalling

If you have the original why would you need to do this? A photocopied document is easily spotted and is highly likely to be queried by the probate office if it is ever presented to them.

BooJewels

Occasionally you do need a certified copy of a will - Probate certainly need the original, but I was asked for a certified copy to cash in pensions and life insurance, so a certified copy can certainly be useful.

I don't know what the appropriate method is for certifying your own is - does it even need witnessing?   I just asked the solicitor who drew it up to provide a couple of certified copies.

All solicitors do is stamp each page saying something like "I certify this as a true copy of the original" with their name and address on and sign it in a box for it on the stamp. 

Do not however remove the staple from the corner or the little triangular seal when copying - this must remain intact.

p00hsticks

I think getting witness signatures on a copy would just confuse things further down the line.

But I think having a copy to hand for reference could be handy - for example if the original is being stored in a safe deposit bank or lodged with a solicitor. A copy would allow you to easily check from time to time if anything needs updating and would be on hand to be referred to quickly after the death to confirm who is executor and what the funeral wishes are without having to initially retrieve the original. And if probate is required then I'd always make sure I had a copy before sending the original off in the post, just in case it went astray.

If the will has been produced by a solicitor then in my experience they'll usually provide a copy anyhow. But if making a copy yourself the one thing to bear in mind is not to disturb anything that may be holding the pages together - e.g. staples, paper clips or other fastenings - as this can lead to queries about potentiall will tampering further down the line. Perhaps simply take photos of the pages for reference rather than try to scan or photocopy them ?

t8769

Thanks for the info.

I wonder if having the photocopy being signed by two witnessed, makes any difference.

I can't find the legal requirements.

Thanks

msb1234

For what purpose do you want a copy of the will? 
A will can be copied and certified by lots of different people - I had my mum’s will copied and certified by a colleague who is a Deputy Head teacher and this was accepted by different agencies. There’s a certain wording you need to use. 
Make sure you DONT remove any fastenings one the original will if you do photocopy it as this will be seen as a concern with the Probate office.

msb1234

https://www.gov.uk/certifying-a-document

user1977

t8769 said:

I wonder if having the photocopy being signed by two witnessed, makes any difference.

I can't find the legal requirements.

"Legal requirements" for what? You need to have an original Will to get probate etc - but you have that. You can have several duplicate originals if you're paranoid about them going missing, but that might cause confusion. You can make as many copies as you like if you just want a copy for your own reference purposes.

t8769

I suppose, in case the origial is lost, or tampered with

Keep_pedalling

t8769 said:

I suppose, in case the origial is lost, or tampered with

But it would still be a copy and you can only have one original. If your will is stored with a solicitor or HMCTS.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/store-a-will-with-the-probate-service/how-to-store-a-will-with-the-probate-service

user1977

Keep_pedalling said:

t8769 said:

I suppose, in case the origial is lost, or tampered with

you can only have one original

Says who? I mean technically yes, if you sign several identical Wills a few seconds apart from each other, you might be impliedly revoking the previous one with every signature, so someone might then have trouble figuring out which was your last Will, but if they're all the same does it matter?

But it certainly isn't normal practice to have duplicate originals.