OT: HSBC to close Safety Deposit boxes

[Davey]

I have had an account with Midland/HSBC since my student days, and a safety deposit box with them since the late '70s, but now they have decided to cancel the deposit box service, and we have to remove our documents within 60 days. So where do we put them now? I have always considered that safety deposits were a standard part of what banks did for customers. No longer, it seems.

I complained, and was told that I could go to the Ombudsman, but I don't reckon that would get me anywhere, as they have not done anything to cheat me of money.

Grrr.

[Bob Eager]

They must be one of the few banks who still had them. You were probably lucky to have hung onto it for so long!

This might help:

[Andrew]

Even luckier than those whose branch was closed and the contents of their 'safe' box gone awol.

[Brian Gaff]

Its just another thing that is considered a minority thing. Self storage and such like has made it rather hard to justify doing it for free these days. Brian

[Robin]

Much depends on why the documents are so important to you that you need secure, off-site protection. Some people find they have few if any documents with monetary value. Eg land registration (which can be done voluntarily) means deeds have much less (if any) worth; wills can be lodged with the Probate Registry for safe keeping (with a certified copy kept for those who are really paranoid - like me); and even "bearer shares" can be on a register. For the rest (including eg your backups if you don't have it all in the cloud) a "fireproof" document safe may suffice.

But I naturally don't expect you to tell us that you *really* want a home for your 500 carats of diamonds and 10 kilos of gold ;)

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Barclays did this years ago. ;-)

Of course things like house deeds no longer have the significance they once had.

[Martin Brown]

They don't go AWOL even then but you have to punch through a layer of phone bureaucracy to make an appointment to visit a non-existent branch (ie find out which branch they transferred the sort code to - it gets quite hairy when they have done this more than once already).

It happened to me when they closed my father's local NatWest branch in Manchester without any warning when I was his executor. They didn't notify him because he was deceased or me because they had no mechanism to connect their archaic legacy safe deposit box records to existing customer addresses. The first I knew I had a problem was when I tried to book an appointment at the branch only to be told it did not exist. This was more than a little alarming as it contained house deeds.

Searching Manchester Evening News archive showed it had closed suddenly about a week before I made the phone call. I don't think staff had much warning of the impending closure either as I had been in a month or so earlier. And it was a fairly busy branch so a puzzle why it closed.

The boxes had all moved to a surviving branch in Swinton as I recall. Even then there was a rule that if you took the box off bank premises it could never be returned (and that had been so for a few years).

I doubt you will find any banks offering this service now.

[Davey]

I used to keep records in there when I spent long periods of time away from home (years at a time), but that has finished. Now, the main contents of the box are historical house deeds, and a flat lease. That has no copy at the Land Registry. The interest in the property does, but not the terms which are an integral part of the lease.

I will now look for a suitable fire-resistant bolt-downable safe, as the only viable alternative.

Personally, I would be as likely to keep stuff 'in the cloud' as fly to the moon.

[Tim Watts]

Metrobank, who are a new bank (well new in the UK) offer the service.

[Robin]

I seem to recall that with an unregistered (short) lease a photocopy of your copy is as good as the original copy - although it never hurts to certify it - so you could cheaply keep a copy off-site. But you could ask in uk.legal.moderated for further and better advice.

[Tim Watts]

[John Rumm]

Yup they moved lots of stuff to a central document storage facility, so you have to book to have it moved to a branch when you want access to it.

That odes depend a bit on if the property has changed hands recently enough to make it onto the electronic land reg site.

[Davey]

Hmm, thanks. Maybe some research is due.

[Davey]

Hmm. Cambridge or Colchester are the nearest, and that's stretching it. And they are not cheap. But if they are the only one offering the service, they are worth considering. Thanks.

[Jethro_uk]

I find myself idly wondering how many times the police have been through it ?

[Robin]

Voluntary first registration might work out cheaper if deeds are the sole or main reason for a safety deposit box. Depends on value but eg £200,001-£500,000 attracts a fee of £200. Plus solicitor's fee if not DIY'd.

[Adam Funk]

...& where he's storing it temporarily. Just out of curiosity, you know!

[Mobilohm ...]

never trust a chinky bank .....

[Bob Eager]

Which is what (inter alia) the link says.

I wonder how much they charge to make it viable.

[Martin Brown]

Just been through that loop with my mum's house. Took Land Registry over

6 months to process it but solicitors fees were very reasonable. They recommended voluntary registration in parallel to the probate application anticipating the long delays at the Land Registry office.