We are all guilty of leaving paperwork around our homes and not remembering where we put it, and despite us living in a digital age, paperwork is still very important.

From car insurance contracts to birth certificates, misplacing these documents could cost owners up to £800 to replace them. Self Storage provider, Space Station, has put together a guide on the important household documents that you should keep, and how much it costs to replace them.

Birth Certificate – £9.95

Birth certificates are important documents that show proof of age and there are many circumstances where you may be asked to present the document, whether it’s registering for schools during childhood or applying for a driving license. It costs £9.95 to replace a birth certificate in the UK and whilst this isn’t a hefty figure, it could add up if you need to replace it multiple times.

Passport – £75.50

Your passport is one of your most expensive and important documents and replacing it could not only cost £75.50, but also jeopardise your holiday if you lose it just before you are about to go. Always remember to check your passport is in date if you’re due to go on holiday as many countries require you to have 3-6 months left on your passport to be able to travel.

Car log book – £30.00

Your car log book is proof that you legally own your car and without it, you would be unable to tax your vehicle. Replacing a logbook costs between £25- £30, but if you are reliant on your car for work and you’re unable to tax it, you could also be at risk of loss of income.

Marriage license – £9.25

A marriage license is a piece of paper that you sign on the big day and often forget about as it is rarely required. However, if you need to change your name on documents or show proof of marriage, replacing it could cost you £9.25.

Bank statements – £60 for one year’s worth (£5 each)

With the rise of internet banking, bank statements are readily available digitally at our fingertips. If you are planning on applying for a mortgage, you could be asked to provide six months to a year of printed bank statements for your application, especially if you are applying for a mortgage with a different bank to your own. If your internet banking doesn’t have a print function, it could cost your £5 per bank statement to get them printed.

Car insurance documents – £30

These days car insurance is renewed online and the legal documents at the beginning of the contract are emailed directly to you. However, in some cases you may be asked to hand over hard copies of your contract and, if you don’t have a printer at home, you could be subject to a £30 administration fee.

Mortgage documents – up to £500

Buyers are often inundated with paperwork when they first buy their home, from the first mortgage in principle letter, to the mortgage offer and, later down the line, solicitor documents and house deeds. Whilst most of these documents can be easily replaced by your bank, losing documents such as your house deeds could result in you needing a solicitor and paying up to £500.

Vlatka Lake, Marketing Manager at Space Station, said:“It can be easy to get into the habit of putting letters or documents on your mantelpiece as soon as they arrive in post, only for them never to be seen again.

“Any documents which can be used as identity, prove your ownership of something or can be used for insurance purposes, should be kept in secure place such as a home filing system or, if you have large amounts of paperwork, self storage may be a safer option.”

For more information on document and archive storage, please visit: https://www.space-station.co.uk/document-archive-storage