Safety deposit box a bad idea (Score 2)

In my experience, a Safety deposit box is a bad idea, at least if that's the only place you've stored things. Depending on the laws where you're located, as soon as a bank is notified of a death, the Safety deposit box is sealed. The box can be searched, if a will if found, it is sent to the court (not given to the family). Any other items can only be released via probate court order, which could take weeks or months. You may be able to work around limitations by having other names on the box, but the last thing you want to do in the aftermath of such an event is to dance around some banks procedures. Safety deposit boxes have significant legal encumbrances, give your loved ones a less difficult means to access your data.