Latin for ‘vacant goods’, bona vacantia is the term given to ownerless property, which by law passes to the Crown. If a person dies intestate (without a will in their name), their possessions will pass to their next of kin – such as their children or married partner.
However, if the deceased has no known kin, their possessions pass to the Crown, which administers their estate until a relative makes a claim on their estate. The UK government publishes a list of estates, which is updated frequently to include the latest unclaimed estates.
The wills and probate solicitors at Beecham Peacock have trawled through the latest list of unclaimed estates to find out which surnames have the best chance of being entitled to property. Maybe it’s a distant relative – or maybe it’s a coincidence? There’s only one way to find out.
