Please reach us at info@cunningham-silk.com if you are unable to find an answer on this page.
Intestate is the term used when a person dies without having made a Will.
The Bona Vacantia is a document produced by the Government Legal Department (formerly the Treasury) listing all of the people who have died intestate (without a Will) within the UK. Bona Vacantia is a Latin term meaning 'Vacant Goods'.
All Probate Researchers use the Bona Vacantia to begin their genealogy research, our main goal is to establish any living blood relatives of the deceased person in order to allow them to claim what is rightfully theirs.
Absolutely not, however most people prefer to use professional services to make the process quicker and easier.
There is a specific order of entitlement to an unclaimed estate, this can found on our page 'Estate Distribution' within the Beneficiaries section of our website.
No, if you agree to us claiming an estate on your behalf we will agree a percentage sum with you prior to commencing any research, this sum is then received by us through the estate upon distribution. If you are approached by a company claiming to be Heir Hunters and they request payment upfront, they are most likely a scam.
Yes we do, once you have signed the contract instructing us to claim an estate on your behalf you have 14 days to change your mind. Please see our Terms and Conditions for further information.
We strongly recommend that you obtain Missing Beneficiaries Insurance, this allows protection on the money you inherit should any unknown heirs, such as illegitimate children, come forward at a later date.
As with Missing Beneficiaries Insurance, we strongly recommend obtaining Missing Will Insurance. This protects against any post-distribution claims should a valid Will be located on an estate that was thought to be intestate. Insurance companies will require proof that a thorough search for a valid Will has taken place which can be done using our Will Search service.
There is not set time period for claiming an estate, it is case dependant but the average is between 6 to 18 months.
No we do not charge any public sector services for our assistance.
In the unlikely event that there are no living relatives we will provide all documents back to the company who required our services, this can then be forwarded to the Government Legal Department.
Yes, we are covered by Professional Indemnity Insurance.
Yes, due to the data we collect we are registered with the ICO. Our number is. Please see our privacy policies for more information regarding the data we collect and store.