Unclaimed Estates, Could You Be Owed Money From a Relative?
Every year, people die without a Will and without any known family, and their property passes to the Crown. Sometimes there are relatives who simply never knew. Here's how unclaimed estates work, how to check, and how a Will stops your own estate ending up there.
What is an unclaimed estate?
Quick summary: When someone dies without a Will and with no known relatives entitled to inherit, their property passes to the Crown as bona vacantia, a Latin term meaning ownerless goods. That can include a home, money or personal possessions. The Crown publishes a list of these estates, and relatives who are entitled to a share can come forward and claim.
It is not as rare as you might think. People lose touch with family, relatives live abroad, and distant cousins or half-siblings may never know a person has died. If you have a relative you lost touch with, it can be worth a quick check.
Who can claim?
Where there is no Will, the intestacy rules decide who inherits, and they follow a strict order of relatives. In broad terms they run from a spouse or civil partner, to children, then parents, full siblings, grandparents, and finally aunts and uncles (or their children). If someone in that order is alive and can prove the relationship, they can claim.
- Entitled relatives need to show how they are related, usually with birth and marriage certificates that trace the connection.
- People who are not relatives but who think they may be entitled, such as someone who lived with or cared for the person who died, can apply for a grant from the estate, although there's no guarantee of success.
- Unmarried partners and stepchildren have no automatic rights under the intestacy rules, which is one reason a Will matters so much for blended families and cohabiting couples.
How to check and make a claim
- Check the list. Search the Crown's list of unclaimed estates on GOV.UK. If you think an estate should be there but isn't, you can tell the Crown about it.
- Confirm you're entitled. Work out whether you fall within the intestacy order, and gather the certificates that prove it.
- Make your claim. Follow the claim process on GOV.UK, and expect to provide evidence of your relationship.
You may be approached by a genealogist or heir-hunting firm offering to prove your claim, usually in return for a percentage of what is recovered. You can also approach the Crown directly yourself, so it's worth comparing options before signing anything.
Why this matters for your own planning
It is unusual for an estate to reach the Crown, because it only happens when nobody in the intestacy order survives. A far more common problem is that the intestacy rules give your estate to people you would not have chosen, while leaving out people you would. Dying without a Will is the starting point for both.
A Will lets you name your own beneficiaries, whether that's family, friends or a charity, and appoint executors who can act straight away. If you are dealing with the estate of someone who has died, our probate page explains what's involved.
Make sure your estate goes where you want it to
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