Changes to Will (Codicils)

[Dennis Pearson]

I live in WA state. I've finished writing my will. I intend to send copies of my will to two trusted people to keep (each with original witness signatures). If I want to change the will the law says I must write a codicil, or change to the will and go through the bother of having it re-witnessed and re-signed. Since my original will will be word processed and the original witness page will be on separate but consecutively numbered pages, what's to prevent me from simply changing the text of the will and send the new will to the keepers of my will with instructions to destroy the original will and attach the new will to the old witness page? Since their is absolutely no requirement that the witnesses read the will before signing the witness page, why do I need new witness signatures to the revised will, the content of which they did not and do not now know anything about?
Thanks, Dennis Pearson

 

[loku]

The way a good will is written, the signatures appear right after the last paragraph in the will and start on the same page as the last paragraph. It is done that way so that people can not do what you are contemplating, which is also illegal.

If anyone can prove that revised versions of the will were not properly witnessed, they would be invalid. Although you might get away with doing it the cheap way, you will never know for sure—will you? And another thing you will never know is if someone else decided to do the same thing with your will so as to get all your property.

 

[Dennis Pearson]

Thanks Ioku,

You raise a good point about the possibility of having the keepers of my will changing the content of the will without my knowing it. Any changes I make to the will will be properly witnessed and signed.