This year, two people who died in Merseyside have left unclaimed estates behind. It’s the latest in a rising number of unclaimed estates.
If there is no known will or next of kin when someone dies, their entire estate, which includes money, property and possessions, is passed to the Crown and declared as “bona vacantia”, or ownerless property.
So that any entitled relatives are given a chance to come forward, they are publicly listed by the government.
Without a will, a spouse or civil partner followed by any children have first claim on the estate. If a spouse and children do not exist, the share may then go to anyone descended from a grandparent of the person.
Details of the people who died in Merseyside and had their estates declared “bona vacantia” are as follows:
- Helen Douglas, died in Birkenhead on 9th June. Her maiden name was Greaves and she was born in Wallasey. She was a widow, aged 61 when she died.
- Pamela Miriam Holland, died in Wirral on 5th September. She was 89 when she died and was born in Chester.
Find out more here.
To check for unclaimed estates in England & Wales click here.