Could you be the heir to a small fortune? The Oxford Mail has put together a list of all the unclaimed estates currently listed in Oxfordshire.

You might be entitled to a share of a deceased relative’s property, whether it is land, money or even personal possessions left behind.

Possessions of those who died without a will or any family, known as unclaimed estates, are passed on to the Crown as ownerless property.

The Government then publishes a list and routinely updates it to help the rightful heir to come forward and make their claim.

The list includes thousands of people from all across the UK, and Oxford Mail has compiled the latest information, publicly available from the Government’s website, to bring readers an up to date list from Oxfordshire.

 

TIMEFRAME FOR CLAIM

All claims are managed by the Bona Vacantia division (BVD) of the Government Legal Department, who accept claims within 12 years from when the administration of the estate was completed, and interest is then paid on money held.

However, no interest has to be paid on the money held, if the claim is made after 12 years of the death and before 30 years are completed, provided full documentation is shown.

If BVD receives a claim whether fully documented or not, outside the 30 year time limit it will not be considered.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO CLAIM AN ESTATE?

If someone dies without leaving a valid or effective will (intestate) the following are entitled to the estate in the order shown below:

  1. husband, wife or civil partner
  2. children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and so on
  3. mother or father
  4. brothers or sisters who share both the same mother and father, or their children (nieces and nephews)
  5. half brothers or sisters or their children (nieces and nephews of the half blood or their children). ‘Half ’ means they share only one parent with the deceased
  6. grandparents
  7. uncles and aunts or their children (first cousins or their descendants)
  8. half uncles and aunts or their children (first cousins of the half blood or their children). ‘Half’ means they only share one grandparent with the deceased, not both

If you are, for example, a first cousin of the deceased, you would only be entitled to share in the estate if there are no relatives above you in the order of entitlement, for example, a niece or nephew.

Children are only entitled to share in an estate if their parent died before the deceased, in which case they take their parent’s share of the deceased’s estate. If their parent survived the deceased but has subsequently died, then whoever is dealing with their estate should claim.

For more information, check the guidance available on the Government website.