Household preparedness
Documents & Finance
If your phone were lost, could you find your insurer’s number or get into an important account? Useful records need to be somewhere you can reach when the usual way in is unavailable. Start with the information you would need to ask for help or put things right.
Find what you need when it matters
Keep track of important records and how you could reach a copy if a device or account failed. Someone helping you may need an insurer’s number or a document’s location, without needing your passwords or access to every private file.
Records, copies and access
Find the records that matter
Insurance details, identity documents and household records may be useful at different times. Note where they are kept so you can find the right one without gathering everything into a single exposed file.
Check your copies and account access
A backup is a spare copy of information. Check that it contains what you expect and that you can reach it. Keep account-recovery arrangements separate from an ordinary shared contact list.
Think about payments and provider contacts
Your usual way to pay may rely on a phone, card or online service. Know how to contact your bank or payment provider if that method is unavailable, without putting banking credentials into a household plan.
When the only copy is out of reach
- A document may be stored on the same phone needed to unlock the account holding its backup.
- An old copy may be missing a changed policy number or contact detail.
- Sharing a whole document can reveal much more information than someone needs to help you.
Start with a small set of records
- List the records you would need to contact providers or begin a claim, and note where to find them.
- Try retrieving a non-sensitive file from an existing backup so you know how it works.
- Read the National Cyber Security Centre’s advice on protecting accounts and keeping backup copies. Keep passwords out of general household contact lists.
When access is interrupted
- Cyber incident. You may need to recover access to an account or use a different device.
- Evacuation. You may need to find important information while away from home.
Make information useful to the right people
- Communications & Information
An offline contact list can help if your phone or account is unavailable.
- Planning & Continuity
Agree who needs access to which information before it is urgently needed.
Protect privacy while getting help
If you’re unsure how to recover an account or access a financial service, use the provider’s own support channels. Share only the information needed for the task, and keep sensitive records out of general messages or group chats.
Put it into practice
Put your arrangements on paper
- Important Records Locator
Find an important record without copying its private contents onto this sheet.
Sources and further advice
For more detail, use the guidance below. Check which part of the UK each source covers.
- National Cyber Security Centre — Top tips for staying secure online
UK personal online security. Source checked .