If you think having a will automatically means you’ll avoid family chaos — think again. A will only helps if someone can actually find it. And since there’s no official “will database” in the UK, the search can quickly turn into a legal version of hide-and-seek.
Step 1: The DIY Detective Work
Start simple. Check:
- Any folder, envelope, or safe marked “important.”
- Solicitors, accountants or financial advisers the deceased might have used.
- The bank — some still hold wills, especially older ones.
- Family members — occasionally someone was handed the “safe copy” 20 years ago and forgot.
Step 2: Local Solicitors and Successor Firms
If you can’t find a physical copy, contact local firms in the area where the will was likely made. Even if the original firm has merged or closed, the successor firm usually keeps archived wills.
You can search successor details using the Law Society’s “Find a Solicitor” tool.
Step 3: The National Will Register
If detective work fails, it’s time for technology.
The National Will Register (formerly Certainty) can search for registered wills and contact solicitors to check their archives.
- Basic Will Register Search – £65 (checks registered wills only)
- Will Search Combined – £140 (adds unregistered will searches and firm outreach)
While not every solicitor registers wills, it’s the UK’s largest database and often the quickest route to an answer.
Step 4: Search the Probate Records
If you’re checking after death, search the government’s probate database:
www.gov.uk/search-will-probate
For £1.50, you can download any will that’s already been through probate.
Step 5: When There’s Truly No Sign
If all else fails, you may have to proceed as though there’s no will — known as intestacy.
If you find a copy of a will, you can apply for probate using a “lost will affidavit,” but you’ll need solid evidence of what it said and why the original is missing.
Step 6: Preventing Future Chaos
For everyone still living:
- Register your will (it’s optional, but saves headaches).
- Tell someone you trust where it’s kept.
- Store it properly — not under the dog bed or behind the gin stash.
Because when the time comes, your family doesn’t need a treasure hunt — they need clarity.
Back to The Lost Will, the Family Tree and the DNA Test That Changed Everything
