County Durham: 23 unclaimed estates revealed for July

Sadly, when someone dies without a planned will or any known family, their property comes ownerless property and is passed on to the Treasury – also known as ‘bona vacantia’.

This can include any kind of property, such as buildings, money or personal possessions.

If you have a relative who has passed away and such circumstances apply after their death, you could be entitled to a share of a deceased relative’s property or ‘estate’.

The unclaimed estates list on the goverment website is updated daily (Image: Getty)

Usually, estates held on the bona vacantia list can be claimed within a 12-year deadline, from the date the estate was taken into possession of the Crown.

Unclaimed estates in County Durham in July

Type in your name below to see if you could be entitled to a fortune:

To claim, check if the estate is listed with the Crown, make sure you’re an entitled relative and make a claim on the estate. More information on how to do this is available on the government website.

Who can claim an unclaimed estate?

If you want to make a claim on a person’s estate, you need to know if you’re entitled as a relative. You must be related as:

• husband, wife or civil partner
• children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and so on
• mother or father
• brothers or sisters who share both the same mother and father, or their children (nieces and nephews)
• 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
• grandparents
• uncles and aunts or their children (first cousins or their descendants)
• 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

Have you ever claimed an unclaimed estate in County Durham before? (Image: Canva)

Evidence you will need to claim an unclaimed estate

The government website says you will be asked to send a family tree showing your relationship and two pieces of identification:

• one showing your name
• one showing your name and address, dated within the last three months

If you have a relative on the unclaimed estate list, you might also be asked to send birth, death or marriage certificates.

It’s important to note the list by the Treasury is updated and published daily on the government website and the information is publicly available.