Unclaimed Estates in Cheshire

There is potential you could be entitled to one of a long list of Unclaimed Estates in Cheshire. Six Cheshire estates have been left unclaimed in 2018 following deaths of their owners around the area.

The government publishes information on a public listing of an Unclaimed Estate following the death of its owner. This Unclaimed Estates List, often known as the Bona Vacantia List, has a literal Latin to English translation of “goods without an apparent owner.”

What Are Unclaimed Estates?

Unclaimed Estates happen only when someone dies with no known will or relatives. Their unclaimed estate, including any monies, buildings, personal possessions and other assets passes to the Crown as ownerless property. This is then publicly listed on the Bona Vacantia List for potentially entitled relatives to make a claim.

In cases where no will can be found for the deceased, their spouse or civil partner will have the first claim on the estate, after which children have a claim to the inheritance. If neither of these can be located, anyone descended from a grandparent of the person is entitled to a share.

Unclaimed Inheritance in Cheshire

There have been seven estates listed as Bona Vacantia List in Cheshire alone so far in 2018. The people who have died and had their estates listed publicly this year in Cheshire are:

• Alan Royle Cotterell - Died in Warrington in June

• Barry Charles Reid - Died in Warrington in February

• Barry Turnock - Died in Crewe in February

• Peter Best - Died in Middlewich in July

• Graham Kendrick - Died in Macclesfield in May

• Norman Burgess - Died in Crewe in August

Across England and Wales, 235 people to die this year will have left unclaimed estates containing their assets. Normally, there is a time limit of 12 years to provide evidence of your claim however, this can be extended to 30 years in certain circumstances.

The article was originally written in Cheshire Live