Even if you have a key to the safe deposit box and can show that you are either related to the deceased or an appointed representative of their estate, the financial institution where the box is located will not let you access the box. In most states, safe deposit boxes are “sealed” and cannot be accessed when the original renter passes away.

You’d think that an executor, spouse, family member of the deceased, or anyone with a key can walk into the bank and open a safe deposit box. Safe deposit boxes are notoriously difficult to access after someone passes, and while most require letters of administration or letters testamentary, the specific regulations differ by state. Here’s what I found out: Who Can Access a Safe Deposit Box?

I know I’m not alone in asking these questions, so I did some digging. Would my spouse be able to access the safe deposit box with my key? Would the executor of my estate be able to access the safe deposit box? And what if the key was lost, as it was in those few chaotic hours during our move? If something were to happen to me, who would be able to access the safe deposit box? The situation forced me to ask myself a question about safe deposit boxes that I hadn’t considered: It was a few hours before I managed to find the key at the bottom of a box of belongings, nestled with other miscellaneous objects that had been too small to deserve their own box. Here I was, writing about the importance of safe deposit boxes, and I had broken the cardinal rule: never losing the key!Īs you can imagine, panic ensued. Just recently, as my wife and I moved all our belongings from our previous apartment to a new home, I realized that my safe deposit key had been misplaced in the move. The box is small, but it provides enough room for me to store a few valuables and items that I’d prefer not to lose.Īnd even though I’ve covered the top items found in safe deposit boxes and the items you should never put in a safe deposit box, I still have quite a bit to learn about these valuable tools. Like one out of eight Americans, I pay a small yearly fee to rent out a safe deposit box at the local bank.

Safe deposit box at bank