THERE are over 100 unclaimed estates in North and East Yorkshire- could you be eligible to claim one?

An estate is classified 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.

While these estates could be worth pennies, they could also be worth millions- you will only know when you enquire.

According to research by property developer, StripeHomes, Yorkshire is home to some of the largest levels of unclaimed estates; unclaimed estates in Yorkshire have an estimated value of £138,247,187.

Here’s everything you need to know about unclaimed estates in North and East Yorkshire:

Unclaimed estates in North and East Yorkshire

There are more than 100 unclaimed estates of people who were born or died in the region.

If you share the same surname as any of these people, you might be entitled to their estate- do you recognise any of these 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 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 think you are eligible to make a claim to a deceased person’s 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.