A grieving family rarely fails for want of love or willingness. It fails at a desk, on a phone, holding a photocopy a bank will not accept — because the one document that proves the case is in a drawer no one can name.
Institutions do not deal in reassurance. They deal in proof — and proof, for the documents that move an estate, usually means the original or a properly certified copy.
The practical consequence
A lost original will can mean a court application to admit a copy — slower, more expensive, and subject to a legal presumption that the original was deliberately destroyed. A misfiled LPA causes weeks of delay at the moment a family needs to act.
This register exists so the answer is "second drawer, with the solicitor" rather than "we think it's somewhere."
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What to record
The core documents and why each one matters
Seven document types — and the specific risk each carries when the original is missing
Will
The Probate Registry generally requires the original signed will — not a photocopy — to issue a grant of probate.
A missing original can mean a slower court application or (if only copies remain) a legal presumption that the will was deliberately destroyed. Where is yours?
Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA)
Must be registered with the Office of the Public Guardian before it can be used.
Banks and institutions typically see certified copies of the registered original — but you must know where that original lives to make further certified copies when needed.
Property title deeds
Most registered property in England and Wales no longer requires paper deeds (the register at HM Land Registry is the title).
But unregistered property still does, and old deeds are often needed to resolve boundary disputes or restrict queries. Know where they are.
Birth, marriage, and civil partnership certificates
The registrar's sealed certified copy is what institutions accept.
A casual home photocopy will be refused. Order replacement certified copies if originals are genuinely lost — but first, know where to look.
Insurance policies
The policy document or certificate — especially for life assurance, income protection, and property.
A claim without the policy number or insurer contact causes delay. Death certificates and the policy reference together are what a claim requires.
Pension documentation
From April 2027, unused pension funds may come within the estate for IHT purposes.
Provider details, scheme reference, and any expression of wishes document — knowing where these are saves weeks when the pension tracing service would otherwise be involved.
Share certificates and investment documents
Paper share certificates are increasingly replaced by electronic holdings, but older portfolios still have paper.
A Registrar (Computershare, Equiniti, etc.) can be contacted if paper certificates are lost — but the process takes time and paperwork.
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Six fields per entry
Record these for every document in the register
Apply the same six fields to every document — the register only works under pressure if it is consistent
Existence
Yes / No / Unknown. A clear 'no will' or 'no LPA' is itself useful — it tells the family which legal route applies.
'Unknown' is a task to resolve, not a permanent answer.
Original location
Specific enough to walk to: 'solicitor's strongroom, Hartley & Bain, matter ref PW-2024' or 'fire safe, bedroom wardrobe, top shelf'.
'At home' is not an answer.
Copy location
Where certified or plain copies sit.
Record digital scans here too. Note which is a certified copy and which is just a photocopy — they carry different weight.
Who holds it
The named person or organisation.
If a professional holds it, record the firm, the contact, and any matter reference — a single phone call should reach the holder.
Last checked
The date someone physically confirmed the original was where the register says.
An unverified entry is a hope, not a fact. Review annually.
Who else knows
At least one other trusted person who knows this entry exists and where to find the register.
A perfect register that only the deceased could read has failed.
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Common hiding places
Where documents actually end up
Where documents actually end up in the average household
Solicitor's strongroom — often free storage; often the safest option
Bank safety deposit box (less common than they used to be)
Fire safe at home — must be properly rated and known to family
The study filing cabinet, second drawer, brown folder
A family member's house (most common — least often documented)
A sealed envelope with the account statements in the attic
The property's own vendor envelope from completion, still sealed
Most families have documents in three or more of these locations, with no central record of which is where. The register replaces the family's collective memory with something a stranger can follow.
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Download
Free · A4 · PDF · England & Wales · Edition 2026
Original Documents Register
Seven document types. Six fields per entry. Five common hiding places documented. Annual review prompt included. In the Valoren institutional aesthetic.
Organisational guidance — not legal advice. Where a legal document should be stored and how to prove its contents is a matter for a qualified solicitor in complex situations.
Take it with you
Take the documents register with you.
We'll email you the documents register as a PDF — for when you're at a printer, or to pass to the person who'll need it. The download above stays free either way.
Working for a hospice, charity, council or carers' service? You're welcome to link the register, print it, or put it in a bereavement pack — free, no permission needed, nothing expected in return. See everything that's free→
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Go further
The maintained version in the portal
The register is the paper version. The portal is the system that keeps it current.
Storage Locations
The exact portal equivalent of this register — where every original and certified copy lives, with a cross-reference to who holds it, and when it was last confirmed. Executor briefing pulls from it on day one.
People & Authority
Names the solicitor, IFA, bank manager, accountant, and other professionals who hold documents or have authority to act. The register's 'who holds it' field maps directly to this record.
Executor's First Hour (£179)
The prepared executor brief includes a storage locations summary — so your executor has a map on the first morning, not a search.
For most documents, copies serve as a reminder and a starting point — but not as proof. The Probate Registry wants the original will. Banks want certified copies of the registered LPA, not photocopies.
Understanding the difference between an original, a certified copy, and a photocopy is the first step — this register helps you record which type you have, and where it is.
Notify your solicitor immediately. If a copy exists, a court application (under r.54 CPR) may admit the copy will to probate — but it is slower and more expensive than presenting an original.
The legal presumption where an original will cannot be found is that the testator deliberately destroyed it (revoked it). Make a new will if the original is truly missing.
With whoever registered it — usually you or your solicitor. The OPG keeps a record of registration but does not hold the document.
You keep the registered original and make certified copies as needed. Banks and care providers routinely return documents after checking — the original should come back each time.
A copy certified by a solicitor or notary public as being a true copy of the original — typically stamped, signed, and dated.
A certified copy carries much more evidential weight than a photocopy, and many institutions accept certified copies where they would not accept plain copies. Solicitors charge a small fee per copy.
Storage Locations captures the same information digitally — where each original and certified copy lives, who holds it, and when it was last checked. It is cross-referenced in the executor briefing, so your executor knows where to look on day one.
The register is the paper version; Storage Locations is the maintained, searchable version. The discipline behind why a written record like this closes the gap between a document existing and someone being able to find it is set out in The Designated Place Framework.
Tell the person most likely to act on your death or incapacity that the register exists and where it is. Then mark a date — a year from now — to re-check the entries and update anything that has moved.
Documents that are found, moved to a solicitor, or superseded should be updated in the register as they change.
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