Keyholders®

So You Are A Keyholder®...

If you are a Keyholder® for an account holder at LegalWills.co.za, you probably have many questions. This page will explain the Keyholder® process and your role and responsibilities.

If we do not answer all of your questions or concerns, please feel free to email us directly at [email protected].

If you need to login because the person who asked you to be their Keyholder® has become mentally incapacitated or has passed away, please login with your Keyholder® ID at the Keyholder® Login page.

Keyholders® - Frequently Asked Questions

Somebody you know has used at least one of the services at LegalWills.co.za. They have stored certain information in our secure database to be retrieved at a later date by trusted family or loved ones. If you are a Keyholder®, you have been assigned the task of unlocking this information because the account holder has either lost capacity to handle their affairs, or they have passed away.

You have been given a unique Keyholder® ID which allows you to login to unlock the account holder's critical information, or an expression of their wishes. Each Keyholder® has the ability to unlock different services.
Yes. If you have been appointed an Executor of an estate, and now have a Keyholder® ID, your job may be much easier. With this Keyholder® ID you may be able to unlock items such as the account holder's funeral wishes, pre-written messages, their vault with critical files, and their "LifeLocker". These could include account details, important contacts, and even login User ID's and passwords to access digital assets.
Yes. If you have been granted authority under a Power of Attorney, and you also have a Keyholder® ID, then your job may have been made much easier. If the account holder has prepared their "LifeLocker", then you can login to see their important contacts, account details, information about banking, recurring payments, and even login credentials for online accounts. They may have even expressed their advance directives through our Living Will service.
Each account holder here at LegalWills.co.za has the option of documenting one or more of the following items:
  • MyFuneral™ - The account holder's wishes for their funeral arrangements
  • MyMessages™ - Unsent messages the account holder has written to their family/friends
  • MyWill™ - The account holder's Last Will and Testament
  • MyExpatWill™ - The account holder's Will for assets held in a foreign country
  • MyLivingWill™ - Directions regarding the account holder's medical care if they are unable to communicate this themselves
  • MyLifeLocker™ - Personal information critical to be passed on to the account holder's family, Power of Attorney and executor
  • MyVault™ - Important files and documents to be passed on to the account holder's family and executor
Each Keyholder® is given the ability to unlock some or all of the above services. So different Keyholders® can have different powers. Once you login, you will be able to see which of the services above you have been given the power to unlock.
If you are a Keyholder®, you will have received a letter with a wallet card, or an email with a unique Keyholder® ID. The letter would have explained that you have been granted powers to unlock the services of an account holder at LegalWills.co.za.

It is also possible that the account holder may have just given you the Keyholder® ID, without using our formal notification system. If you have never received a Keyholder® ID, then you are not a Keyholder®.
Yes. An account holder can name up to 20 Keyholders®, and each Keyholder® can have access to a different set of services.
Yes. You will be given a unique Keyholder® ID for each account for which you have been granted access. There is no limit to the number of accounts that you can access, nor the number of Keyholder® ID's that you can be assigned.
You do not. The account holder knows how many Keyholders® they have defined. But each Keyholder® only knows about their own Keyholder® ID.
It is possible that the account holder has named many Keyholders®, and even multiple Keyholders® to unlock the same service and documents. You should still login with your Keyholder® ID. If there are multiple Keyholders® and another Keyholder® has logged in before you, then it is possible that some services will have already been unlocked. The content of the service may not have been released because there is a time delay, but you should be aware that multiple Keyholders® may be unlocking the same information.
If you are the Keyholder® for many different accounts, then you will have been assigned many different Keyholder® ID's: one for each account. You must make sure that you are using the correct Keyholder® ID for the correct account. After you have logged in, you will be presented with the account holder's name. You can then be certain that you are accessing the correct account.
If the account holder is still alive and competent, then you should ask the account holder to generate a new Keyholder® ID for you. They can also disable your old Keyholder® ID.

If the account holder has passed away, or is no longer competent, then you should contact us.
If you are a Keyholder®, you have been given the responsibility to unlock one or more of the services that have been used by an account holder at LegalWills.co.za. The account holder has made plans in case they were to ever become incapacitated, or for when they have passed away. They have prepared documents or messages that could include important contact information, funeral wishes, or instructions for their Power of Attorney or Executor. Hopefully, the content within these services will help you in your duties as a friend, family member or loved one.
After you login as a Keyholder®, you will be presented with the account holder's name to confirm that you are about to access the correct account. At this time, the account holder will be notified that you have logged in with your Keyholder® ID, and they will be given an opportunity to lock the services to block your access.

You will then see a list of services for which you have been granted access rights. Next to these services, you will be able to see their current status: whether they are currently locked, unlocked or visible. If a service is locked, you will be able to unlock it. If you do this, the account holder will again be notified. As soon as the service has been unlocked, a timer starts, and after a pre-defined period, the service will become visible. You will then be able to access the content within that service. The content within the MyMessages™ service will be distributed to the recipients.
If you are the only Keyholder®, then the account holder's wishes will remain unlocked. This would be a pity, because they have spent a great deal of time and effort in preparing the content within these services. They have appointed you as the Keyholder® and have entrusted you with this responsibility. If you do not unlock the services, then the content will remain private.
You can go here to set up an account at LegalWills.co.za. If you do this, you can prepare your Last Will and Testament, Living Will, Funeral Wishes, your LifeLocker and use the Vault service. You can also prepare Messages to be distributed after you have passed away. Once you have done this, click on MyKeyholders™ to grant access to the services, and then go to MySecurity™ to set up the unlocking parameters of each service.

The complete pricing structure is available on our Products & Prices page.
If you have additional questions after reading all of the information provided here, feel free to send an email to [email protected].

We will be happy to answer any questions you may have.