THERE are dozens of unclaimed estates in Cumbria- they could be worth pennies or they could be worth millions.

While ‘estates’ can mean anything from possessions to houses,  research by property developer, StripeHomes, suggests that there estimated £1.744bn worth of unclaimed property lying vacant across England and Wales.

Unclaimed estates in the North West account for 3% of all unclaimed estates and there is an estimated £44,113,062 worth of unclaimed estates in this region alone.

Unclaimed estates in Cumbria

According to the latest Government data, there are 39 unclaimed estates in Cumbria- 20 of the deceased were born or died in Carlisle.  

Do you recognise any of the names?

Who is entitled to an estate?
An estate is classed as unclaimed when a person without a will or any known relatives passes away- their property, money and personal possessions are then passed onto the crown.

You might be entitled to one of these estates and not even know it, as even distant relatives are eligible to claim them.


However, you better act quick as the estates are taken off the list after 30 years.

Managing Director of StripeHomes, James Forrester, said that this could be one unexpected way to get your foot on the property ladder- especially if the deceased has an unclaimed house.

He adds: “It makes for quite depressing reading when you consider the struggle many are facing to secure a property of their own while such a substantial value of bricks and mortar is currently left tangled in red tape, only for the Government to take control of it after 30 years. 

“While procedures need to be followed to ensure anyone with a legitimate claim has the right to do so, 30 years seems a very long time to leave an estate lingering in limbo when it could be contributing positively to the current housing crisis.”

People entitled to the estate are shown 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 think you are eligible to make a claim to an estate, you can do so at the following Government link.

Have you ever been eligible to claim an estate? Tell us your story in the comments.