Estatesearch Will Search

Conducting a Will Search demonstrates that reasonable steps have been taken to identify any later or missing Will and helps to ensure you can carry out the testator’s wishes correctly. Our search supports your due diligence processes, helps you to meet best practice, and mitigates the risk of a later Will being discovered after distribution.
Quickly and diligently fulfil your obligations when it comes to searching for a Will.
£60 + VAT
  • Robust solution
  • Dynamic geographic searching
  • Cost effective
Also available
Estatesearch Will Search Plus
£104 + VAT

Includes an Estatesearch Will Search

PLUS

A search of the National Will Register.

Why you should search for a Will

 

Personal Representatives have a legal responsibility and duty to distribute the deceased’s estate correctly. You have a duty of care to ensure that the testator’s wishes are carried out and correctly distributed to the rightful beneficiaries. Our own research suggests that nearly 20% of people who have made a Will have updated it with a different provider, highlighting the importance of locating the most up-to-date version.

 

Our solution

 

Feedback from clients has previously highlighted the need for greater flexibility, more robust searching criteria, and cost efficiency. Our Will Search takes that view into account to provide you with an effective solution; supporting due diligence, meeting compliance obligations, and improving outcomes for your clients.

We search local will holders using dynamic search criteria to provide a robust search relevant to urban or rural locations. The average person currently moves house up to 8 times in their lifetime, so we search on all connected addresses you provide with no upper limit.

The Estatesearch Will Search includes a full database search of local and national will holders including local solicitors and will writing members of The Institute of Professional Willwriters (IPW) and The Society of Will Writers (SWW). In addition, we include a search of Probate Depository and a number of online will providers. All potential Will Holders contacted are detailed in the report, giving you an audit trail to demonstrate due diligence.

For complete peace of mind, our report helps you to meet the recommendations made in 19.1 of the Probate Practitioners Handbook (Missing Wills) and 21.3.1 of the Law Society Wills and Inheritance Quality Scheme (WIQS).

A search of The National Will Register can also be conducted within our portal.

  • Makes enquiries of Local and National Will Holders inc. members of IPW and SWW, The Probate Depository and a number of online providers
  • Dynamic geographic search criteria allows a robust search in urban OR rural locations
  • No upper limit on connected addresses


Easy ordering with the Estatesearch Portal

 

All orders can be placed securely online through our dedicated portal offering access to a variety of searches and services. There are no registration or subscription fees, so you only pay for what you need, when you need it.

 

To find out more about the portal and the full toolkit it provides, why not book a quick demo?

  • We use Estatesearch’s Financial Profile search ordered through the free, secure portal, on every case where we are executors. This protects our firm and limits liabilities. We would also conduct a Will Search as standard practice too and await the results to ensure we are the appointed executors according to the Will before instructing the asset search.
    Lauren Phillips, Legal Director & Head of Private Client Services
  • The searches themselves can always throw in surprises. We had one case where ... an investment company wrote to us letting us know they had made a mistake and an account did in fact exist for the deceased. In this instance we could prove our due diligence and show we had done all that we could do to identify assets within the estate through Estatesearch’s Financial Profile Search at the time, and that the investment company was at fault. We were easily able to resolve the matter.
    Patrice Lawrence, Senior Associate Solicitor
  • We now use Estatesearch’s Will Bank Management service for any orphaned Will Banks we purchase, and also for our own records. Following Estatesearch’s screen and cleanse, the ongoing notification phase is particularly helpful as every month Estatesearch notifies us if anyone has passed away or moved house ... This process not only improved the accuracy of their Will Bank but also reconnected Southeast Legacies with many existing clients in need of further support.
    Anthony Rockliffe TEP, Director
  • At Jackson Lees we offer a comprehensive service to help and support families when they have lost loved ones. For clients who only need help with a Grant of Probate, we also recommend they instruct an asset and liability search. Many take advantage of this option. Using Estatesearch’s services means we can demonstrate due diligence. Our best practice approach also gives all our clients peace of mind that assets won’t be discovered, at a later date, which helps avoid any associated IHT implications that might bring.
    John-Paul Dennis, Partner and Divisional Director for Private Client
  • As an organisation, we aim to continue to expand by taking on more Will Banks from financial advisors or other retiring professionals. It would have been difficult to manage the influx of much more work without Estatesearch’s Will Bank Management services. Now, with Estatesearch’s help we are confident we can efficiently update orphan storage banks and communicate appropriately with our clients as our firm grows.
    Zoe Oliver, Business Manager
  • At Elite Law Solicitors, we always aim to provide a comprehensive service and best advice, tailored to our clients’ needs. Estatesearch’s reports and services support us and mean we can do an even better job for our clients. We highly recommend Estatesearch.
    Meg Wilton, CILEX Lawyer and TEP
  • One of the main challenges is the identification of all the assets within the estate. It is daunting for many clients to try to wrap up the financial affairs of a deceased family member, where they may not have all of the details. We use Estatesearch for share valuations and sales, and for the placement of statutory notices. We also use Estatesearch’s Financial Profile Search to contact financial institutions to confirm if the deceased held an account, which then enables us to make further enquiries about the nature of the assets.
    Peter Tuffin, Accountant and Partner
  • Our firm’s approach is one of social purpose, where we use our experience to help clients as best as we can. Completing the searches and using Estatesearch’s range of services adds a layer of certainty for our clients, ensuring they are satisfied that everything has been dealt with correctly and there will be no surprises in the future.
    Lindsey Bohanna, Legal Director
  • Using Estatesearch’s secure, online portal for ordering searches is easy. I like the way multiple addresses can be input which is useful if the deceased moved frequently during their lifetime. It is a cost effective method of contacting a broad range of financial institutions and so the search means we can offer a more comprehensive service to our clients.
    Emma Spicer, Assistant Estate Administration Team Manager
  • Out of the blue, Estatesearch flagged an unknown policy. When I made further enquiries, it was confirmed as a £265k life insurance policy which paid out to the estate. It was a big windfall for the charitable beneficiaries and really underlined the importance of completing an asset search as there had been no other evidence of this policy at all. As executors, it also protected our firm too in ensuring all assets had been found.
    Bethany Wheadon , Solicitor
  • The Estatesearch Financial Profile Service gives us a comprehensive and robust due diligence process at the click of a button. Using a combination of data and technology goes beyond what we could reasonably achieve otherwise and Estatesearch have helped us identify additional assets in difficult Court of Protection matters.
    Holly Chantler, Head of Private Client
  • I've found the range of services provided by Estate Search to be vital tools in my day to day work as a private client lawyer. The client portal is an excellent one stop shop for the full range of searches I often undertake.
    Barry Griffin, Partner
  • We use the Financial Profile Service when appointed as Executors to help us clearly demonstrate we’ve met all our statutory duties. The report is clear and easy to use, helping us quickly make targeted additional enquiries to secure estate assets when required.
    Rachel Roche, Solicitor Director
  • The Financial Profile Service helped us efficiently confirm all the estate accounts, and in our latest matter identified a historic pension adding greater value for the beneficiaries and our clients.
    Liyen Clutton, Biscoes Solicitors
  • The Estatesearch team are always willing to go the extra mile to help us with our cases and enquiries, using their knowledge and expertise to help us deliver an excellent service while reducing costs for our clients.
    Michael Graham, Head of Private Client
  • As trusted legal advisors, our clients appoint us in many different capacities, as executors, trustees, Attorneys and Deputies. Clients place their trust in us, and we take that responsibility seriously. As part of our best practice when undertaking those roles, we conduct an asset and liability search to identify and secure all assets and investments held in an estate, by a trust, or by a donor client. We place our trust in Estatesearch to produce a report that is both thorough and reliable. Estatesearch also support us with several other products that ensure we can provide a professional and comprehensive service across our private client team.
    Mrs Tracey Hatswell TEP, Partner, Wason Male & Wagland LLP
  • As a business reliant on accurate compliance we turned to Estatesearch for our insolvency and bankruptcy checks, and we couldn’t be happier with the experience. Their system is incredibly user friendly, allowing our team to navigate the process effortlessly. We appreciate how straightforward the platform is and look forward to an integration with our software provider shortly. We would recommend Estatesearch to any business seeking a reliable partner for insolvency and bankruptcy assessments.
    Laura Staples, Partner & Head of Private Client. HK Law
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