Looking at buying a fire/water proof box for my will etc,any recommendations?

WSB

Looking at buying a fire/water proof box for my will etc,any recommendations?
Thanks

p00hsticks

I'd only say to make sure that whatever one you buy is big enough to store A4 documents flat - the one my parents have (not sure of make) isn't quite that big, meaning wills, POAs, house deeds etc have to be folded  which both takes up more room and potentially damages important documents. 

RAS

Or store you will at the Probate Registry. Cost £20-30. 

Confusedlad

Agree with p00hsticks on size, but would go one further & suggest a firesafe. More expensive perhaps, but heavy (especially when it has contents), and can be fixed making it non-moveable.  No point in having something that can be easily 'nicked'.

user1977

Confusedlad said:

No point in having something that can be easily 'nicked'.

Though easy enough to make a new Will if it does get nicked! I wouldn't get too paranoid about this stuff, it's not as if the deed has intrinsic value. At best it will make the admin a bit easier if you die in the fire/flood itself! Even then, it can be reconstituted if there was a copy somewhere else.

tacpot12

I have my important documents stored in a small fire safe inside waterproof document wallets bought off Amazon. 

Jowwie

If using a safe, don't forget to give your executor access to it 

pjs493

p00hsticks said:

I'd only say to make sure that whatever one you buy is big enough to store A4 documents flat - the one my parents have (not sure of make) isn't quite that big, meaning wills, POAs, house deeds etc have to be folded  which both takes up more room and potentially damages important documents. 

To be fair, no one should be storing original wills or house deeds at home. The best place for them is a law firm or bank safety deposit box. 

I’ve got a fireproof box that was bought as a pistol box in the US. It’s used for passports, birth certificates, sentimental stuff. Original wills and deeds are with a solicitor. Copies are in the regular safe as well as digital copies on the computer. The executor of my will also has an envelope with a copy of my will, location of safe keys, computer password, etc. 

user1977

pjs493 said:

p00hsticks said:

I'd only say to make sure that whatever one you buy is big enough to store A4 documents flat - the one my parents have (not sure of make) isn't quite that big, meaning wills, POAs, house deeds etc have to be folded  which both takes up more room and potentially damages important documents. 

To be fair, no one should be storing original wills or house deeds at home. The best place for them is a law firm or bank safety deposit box. 

Unless you have one of the dwindling number of unregistered properties, the "deeds" are not of any great importance and tend to just be (out of date) copies of what was on the Land Registry at the time of the last transaction.

Bank safety deposit boxes (if you can even find any locally) only make sense for things with intrinsic value, no real point paying hundreds a year just to keep some (replaceable) documents.