AIBU to ask how long you keep ...

[YBR]

various paperwork.
Have recently moved house and am wondering how long to keep all the papers about the old house and mortgage.

General bank statements, insurance docs, utility bills etc I tend to keep 10 years - is that long enough?

[PinkAndBlueBedtimeBears]

Sorry.. Let me get this straight.. You think you should keep it for longer than 10years?! [faints]
I keep a year, at best, and I've never needed any of it..... However I'm 22, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it despite being married with 2 dc and a mortgage
[loitering in the hope I'm not the only one slightly slapdash with paperwork..]

[amy83firsttimer]

You only need 7 years maximum. Even the companies only keep that long. I've moved as much as possible to paperless statements and try to only keep a year or two at home.

[NCISaddict]

I think you only need to keep bank statements for six years at the most for tax purposes, if you do online banking then you don't need to keep any as you have access to previous ones. I keep payslips until I get my P60 then I shred them and keep that.
I would only keep a years worth of utility bills just to compare usage.
Perhaps scan stuff and store online?

[Haggisfish]

I do online stuff as much as possible and keep electronic copies. You only need Six years worth.

[treaclesoda]

I keep stuff for a couple of years.

Although I've recently discovered that a former employer has 'updated their computer system' and has no record of me having worked there, so I'm really regretting throwing out my old payslips because when I sought a reference from them it made me look like I'd lied about working there.

[Secretblackandmidnighthag]

Unless you need things for your tax returns then I wouldn't bother keeping any old utility bills, out of date insurance policies, phone bills etc. your bank can provide you with statements if you ever need them. I work at a law firm and they only keep paper copies of things for 10 years, they just don't have the storage (electronic copies they keep indefinitely ).

[treaclesoda]

by a couple of years, I mean paper copies, everything else is on the computer.

[combust22]

If it a house you no longer own then chuck. Otherwise 6 months. Back copies of bank statements can always be printed again.

[YBR]

secretblack I'm not sure the bank can provide me with statements. I've recently had a "your statement is ready" email only to find that the account had disappeared within hours. I was expecting it to close but wanted to see the final statement. The bank's helpline can't find the account!

I have a system where I clear through the main paper filing each year and put it in separate draw, that draw gets shredded 10 years later (or so). Too lazy to go through electronic filing so I guess that keeps forever!

[Lonecatwithkitten]

You need the current tax year plus the 6 previous years for tax return purposes. It is worth keeping utility bills this long as they do go back and chase debts. When I moved companies they refused to use my actual reading and used an estimated reading despite me telling them it was too low at the time. 2 years later they chased me for the money and then I had to chase the next company for the money I had paid them and bills helped me prove the situation. Without them it would have been very messy.