How do you discover if someone made a will?
 

This is recent (ie within last thirty years)

Only the wife's will has been proved, but I gather that both husband and wife made mirror wills. I suspect without recourse to solicitors.

For a flat fee, you can lodge a will with the Probate service. Does anyone know if this is searchable? Or when it was set up?

Do you mean someone who is still alive, Phoenix?

They are dead. There was a will in existence, but nobody knows what happened to it. If we could find it, a society I belong to would benefit, otherwise the assets go to the next of kin.

I have executed several estates, one of which we could find no will. Istr that when someone dies, leaving appreciable assets, some kind of circular is sent to all solicitors who then search their records. It took 3 months to find the will.

Of course, if it's a home made will stuck at the back of the sideboard, there's no way of knowing.

OC

Thanks, OC. Everyone else in the family has had home made wills, and the initial chap whose will we have to prove said it was in a drawer.... and then moved the drawer. It took us a month to find it!

I can find info on how to store your will there (the Probate Service, not a drawer), but nothing about others searching for it (other than your "personal representatives").

Exactly the same for me. Very annoying.

Um, maybe it's a solicitors' thing. I have a vague memory of applying for admon because we could find no will. Perhaps that prompts the Probate Office to search? In other words, they do it in their own interests, not yours.

In another case when I could not find one of the beneficiaries I was advised to take out insurance in case they appeared after the estate had been distributed. Not the same, I know, but might enable you to get on with things?

OC

My Grandad told us just before he died that everything we would need was in a red folder. I went through his entire house, which did feel like an intrusion as he had not yet died, and failed to find a red folder.

I did find a green folder, it contained (outdated) paperwork for his bowls club!! :rolleyes:

There was a will, no idea now where that was found, although Dad may have known what solicitor was used.

You need someone good at searching. I would go through the rubbish Dad had thrown out to make sure nothing of value was tossed. For example he threw out a box containing war medals, photos of my Grandma and all the condolence cards that were sent for her death, which occurred shortly after I was born.

We are going through the house quite carefully. But we do it in quite short sessions, as concentration wavers after a couple of hours. After filling five successive wheelie bins wit paper waste, we have been warned that that is too much for the bin men!

Good news, though, is that the mirror will had a witness address that proves to be the address of solicitor, so we are keeping our fingers crossed that the will survives.