Safe-deposit box
A box rented at a bank. Getting into one after the renter has died is its own procedure, and often a slower one than the family expects.
What it means
The bank does not know what is in the box and generally may not simply open it. Access after a death depends on state law and on how the box was rented.
Several states allow a limited opening before anyone is appointed, specifically to look for a will, a burial plot deed or burial instructions — and nothing else may be removed.
A joint renter can usually get in, and a person who merely holds a key usually cannot.
Why it matters
The will is frequently in the box, and the authority to open the box frequently depends on the will. Several states solved that with a limited-search rule, and the rest did not.
It also matters before a death: telling somebody the box exists and putting them on the rental agreement is far easier than any of the alternatives afterwards.
When you are likely to meet it
- When a box is found among a parent's papers.
- When the will is believed to be in a box nobody can open.
- When a bank refuses access to a family member.
How this varies by state
Who may open a box after a death, whether a limited search for a will is allowed, and what may be removed are all set by state law and differ sharply.