What this interactive tool does

When someone dies without a will and no relatives can be traced, their estate passes to the Crown as what the law calls bona vacantia, meaning ownerless goods. Thousands of estates end up this way every year, and many could still be claimed by family members who never knew they were entitled. This interactive tool looks at your relationship to the person, what you know about their death, and whether a will exists, then explains in plain English whether you might have a claim and exactly how to pursue it.

It is built to give you an honest picture rather than false hope, so it sets out where you are likely to sit in the order of entitlement before you spend time and money chasing a claim.

When to use it

It is aimed at people who suspect a relative died without a will and without obvious heirs, perhaps a distant aunt, uncle or cousin, and want to know if they can claim. It is also useful if you have come across a familiar surname on the official unclaimed estates list and want to understand what to do next, or if you are simply researching your family tree and have found a relative whose estate seems to have gone unclaimed. If you already know you are the named beneficiary of a will, this is not the tool you need, you should deal directly with the estate's executor instead.

How it works

You answer a few questions about how you are related to the person, whether they left a will, what you know about when and where they died, and whether you have checked the official list. The tool then explains the intestacy rules that decide who inherits, working down from spouse and children through to nieces, nephews and cousins, and shows you how to search the government Bona Vacantia list of unclaimed estates at gov.uk. It covers the time limits that apply, the certificates and family tree evidence you will need to prove a claim, and gives a fair warning about heir hunter firms and the fees they charge. Nothing you enter is saved.