If my fiancé passed away suddenly, will the bank allow me to open his safety box?
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If my fiancé passed away suddenly, will the bank allow me to open his safety box?
We lived together for 6 years. He had giving me his safety box keys with the bank and told me that if something were to happen to him, to get the items from his safety box. However, we only shared a saving account.
Asked on June 7, 2019 under Estate Planning, Nevada
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 4 years ago | Contributor
First, please accept our sympathy for your loss.
Unfortunately, if he did not will the contents of the box to you, or make you his executor in his will, you have no legal right to open his safety deposit box, even if he gave you a copy of the keys. "Fiance" is an important relationship emotionally, but is not legally recognized: unlike being a spouse, it does not give you any inheritance rights to what the deceased left behind, or any authority over anything he owned.
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