Global probate genealogists, Finders International, have been featured in The Scottish Sun talking about unclaimed estates. As mentioned in the article, an estimated £5.2million is currently lying unclaimed from 545 intestate (meaning without a Will) cases.
If people believe they are entitled to one of these unclaimed estates, they are able to put a claim in however it can be difficult and risky to do so by yourself. As highlighted by Finders International’s founder and MD, Danny Curran, “If you’re documenting your own claim, you need to buy every document.
That can be difficult. The reason people use us instead is that you can’t just tell the authorities, ‘I’m the cousin, give me some money’. If you are the one claiming the estate, you assume the responsibility for finding all the next of kin.”
A list of estates open to claims is available on the QLTR website and for any unclaimed estates, the money goes to the Scottish government’s bank account.
A list of the largest estates currently unclaimed are:
- Louise Sutherland – died aged 90 in March 2016, Edinburgh Royal Infirmary with an estate worth £370,720.67
- James Wilson – died aged 90 in June 2010, Woodlands Nursing Home, Livingston with an estate worth £288,905.18
- Charles Hugh Blackwell – died aged 69 in January 2019, Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Glasgow with an estate worth £173,107.31
- Lascalles McPherson – died aged 78 in December 2016, Edinburgh Royal Infirmary with an estate worth £140,579.25
- Lucyna Walemia Szen – died aged 86 in January 2015, Birdston Care Home, Kirkintilloch near Glasgow with an estate worth £123,732.84
The full article was published in The Scottish Sun 18 January 2021.
To read more about Finders International, you can visit their website or email [email protected]