The important documents every UK couple should keep together

Most couples keep their important documents in three places: a drawer, an inbox and someone's memory. That works until a boiler breaks, a passport expires the week before a holiday, or something far worse happens.

The checklist

• Identity: passports, driving licences, birth certificates, marriage or civil partnership certificate.
• Home: mortgage or tenancy agreement, title details, buildings and contents insurance, boiler and appliance warranties.
• Money: bank and savings accounts, ISAs, credit cards, Premium Bonds, any loans.
• Pensions: workplace and personal pension details, and who you've nominated.
• Insurance: life, income protection, car, pet and travel.
• Health: GP details, NHS numbers, prescriptions, vaccination records.
• Legal: wills, and any power of attorney you already have.
• Vehicles: V5C logbook, MOT and service history.
• Digital: which accounts exist and what you'd want done with them — never the passwords themselves in a shared note.

Renewals catch everyone out

Note the renewal date for every policy and document. Car insurance, home insurance and passports are the usual culprits, and auto-renewals are rarely the best price.

Make it findable for the other person

The point isn't just storing it — it's that either of you can find anything without asking the other. A shared, encrypted vault does that; a drawer only does it if you both know which drawer.