What happens if I keep the Will myself and lost it subsequently?

Generally, when you make a new Will, it will have a clause revoking your previous Will (within the same scope). As an added precautionary measure, we ask our clients to destroy all outdated Wills; to prevent the outdated Wills from being used instead.

So what happens if you lose your Will?

Well, while you still have the testamentary capacity, you should consider making a new one (i.e. print and sign together with 2 witnesses), even if the contents are exactly the same. Through us, this Will will then be the latest Will revoking all previously written ones (within the same scope).

That being said, there will still be 2 main issues cannot be easily resolved:

1) Confidentiality. Your Will likely will contain some sensitive information. Since it is misplaced, who knows who will find it, or worse, do with it.

2) Reappearing after your death. This isn't that much of an issue if another Will written at a later date revoking the previous Will is presented; but if that latest Will can't be found, who's going to prove the Will you previously misplaced is still valid or not?

That being said, please please PLEASE keep your Will somewhere safe yet accessible to the right people after your death. Consider storing your Will with us, leave your professional storage needs with the professionals.

Otherwise if you are unable to do so (e.g. no longer have testamentary capacity), that's where it gets really complicated. Think of your Will as a legal document which you state down your intentions on how your estate is meant to be split. Upon your death and now that it went missing, how are your beneficiaries going to prove its existence or that the content inside is even still valid? What happens next and the outcome will be a case-by-case basis.