Estate Research firm looking for relatives

[lizzydripin]

Hi,
I have been contacted by an Estate Research firm.

They have told me that I have a relative that has died with no next of kin and they are looking for the relatives to inherit if there is anything to inherit.
I have checked with my Mum and apparently my Dad had an auntie a, who I never knew, and the person who has died would be her son, who I also never knew. I contacted the company and the confirmed this was the case and that myself, my sister and my nephew would be entitled to any estate he has left behind. To continue with this they want me to sign over 20% if there is anything to inherit.

I have two questions
1. Is this a scam, I have not been asked for any money
2. Are they right in who stands to gain from this.
My Dad was the eldest of three brothers, one of whom who is also deceased had two children, neither of his children have children of their own, and the other youngest brother is still alive.
I had one elder sister who died leaving a son (the nephew mentioned). and one younger sister, who has two children. I have three.

Many thanks
Lizzy D

[Alaric]

1. Is this a scam, I have not been asked for any money

There have be firms for years who nose around for people dying without leaving a will and where there are no immediate claimants to any inheritance. The BBC has even done a series telling the life stories of some of the people thus identified. The fee you pay is 20% of whatever estate can be realised. You don't have to use them, you can step in and do the research yourself, or employ someone else to do it for you. Essentially you have to find and realise any assets and gain control of them through probate or similar.

[chas49]

1) It's possible that it's a scam, but it's also possible that it's genuine. This article gives a good explanation of the process.

Key points form the linked article:

You could argue that heir hunter firms contact people who would otherwise remain unaware of their inheritance, and deserve to be rewarded. Or you could conclude they get richly paid for little work. But in any case, it's still worth knowing what you are getting yourself into.

Nick Beetham, from Title Research, a genealogical research specialist that finds missing beneficiaries but does not charge percentage fees, told us: "My advice to beneficiaries would be don't sign anything until you have the same information as the heir hunter, so you know what the deal is."

He added: "With a commission-based firm, the fee in cash terms is determined only by the value of the estate and could be thousands of pounds. Whereas with a time-based fee-charging company – which would not be asking you to sign anything – the cost to the estate could be a few hundred pounds. Think twice if you're asked to sign an agreement and definitely don't make upfront payments."

In terms of whether the inheritance part is correct, it will depend on the full facts. On the basis of what you have said, you may be in line along with others. Whether it's worth you paying 20% to get your share depends on how much the share is worth and how much work would be involved in you "claiming" yourself instead of paying them I think.

Don't sign anything in a rush!!

[orchard101]

When this happened to me I too was sceptical, but it turned out to be genuine.

I decided that 20% of something was more than 20% of nothing.

Unfortunately my, totally unknown, benefactor turned out to have died in Malta who have totally different intestacy laws and it all came to nothing although it would have resulted in me inheriting approx. £100K

[Slarti]

Hi Lizzy D

As you know who it is, before signing away 20%, try looking for your relative on https://www.gov.uk/government/organisat ... a-vacantia

This is the Government website where many intestate estates end up and it is a major source of work for the Heir Hunters (see TV programme)

Or if you don't want to do the work yourself, look up the company at https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/ and see how long they have been around. Plus Google them.

You could post their name here to see if anybody here has heard of them.

Slarti

[Clitheroekid]

No, it almost certainly isn't a scam for the very simple reason that scammers ask for cash up front, not 20% of a sum to be recovered.

As has been suggested if you post their name I can probably confirm whether or not the company is genuine, as I've dealt with most of them over the years. The two main ones are Fraser & Fraser and Finders.

These firms - `heir hunters' as they're generally known - investigate the estates of people who have died without any known next of kin and then trace the next of kin using fairly simple research techniques.

If they've contacted you then you can be fairly sure that you are entitled to share in the inheritance and the firm that has contacted you will recover the money on your behalf.

Whether it's worth taking up the offer depends on how much is involved. If the estate is only £5,000 then it's probably worth paying £1,000, but if the estate is £100,000 you would be handing over £20,000. In that event it would be worth either doing it yourself, which would cost nothing, or hiring a solicitor to do the work for you, which would cost a great deal less than £20,000.

Alternatively, if it is, say, £100,000 you could try to negotiate a much smaller percentage and then let them do the work. Bear in mind that you're half way there already, in that you know the identity of the deceased, which would give you a fair amount of bargaining power. These firms generally work on the basis that you don't know the identity of the deceased and that you couldn't reasonably find out.

I would therefore recommend that you ask the firm to let you know the approximate value of the estate, so you can make a reasoned judgment. It'll be interesting to find out whether they will tell you.

[lizzydripin]

Hi,

I have looked on the link provided by Slarti and can not see the name listed so I had decided it must be some sort of scam. This is the firm that contacted me: http://www.estateresearch.co.uk/

I am also not sure, if it does turn out to be genuine, if we all need to sign the agreement, or if it would just be 20% of my share.

Many thanks
LizzyD

[PinkDalek]

I have looked on the link provided by Slarti and can not see the name listed so I had decided it must be some sort of [word deleted by me to avoid potential defamation]. This is the firm that contacted me: http://www.estateresearch.co.uk/ ...

The website includes Company No: 08765186 and, although I can't immediately find Estate Research Limited mentioned on their own website, this would appear to be them:

https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/08765186

I haven't researched further.

[Slarti]

Hi,

I have looked on the link provided by Slarti and can not see the name listed so I had decided it must be some sort of scam. This is the firm that contacted me: http://www.estateresearch.co.uk/

I am also not sure, if it does turn out to be genuine, if we all need to sign the agreement, or if it would just be 20% of my share.

Many thanks
LizzyD

If the name is not there, it may be a case of not there yet, or the person may have died abroad.

I think that it would be just 20% 0f your share, from having watched a couple of episodes of Heir Hunters.

Slarti

[Clitheroekid]

This is the firm that contacted me: http://www.estateresearch.co.uk/

They are a genuine company. Although I've had no personal dealings with them they are quite well known in the legal profession.

However, as I said, you can't really make any proper decision without knowing how much is involved, so you need to ask them and then come back with the answer.

[rivemma]

Dear Clitheroe Kid,
thank you so much for your advice. I am in the same position as the person who posted about Estate Research Ltd.
I have received e-mails from them acknowledging me as a possible beneficiary of an Estate left by a deceased relative.
I know who the relative was,and I know approx how much the Estate is worth. I also have the name of the Solicitors who commissioned them
This company wants to receive 20% plus VAT of the Estate, which I feel is an extortionate amount to ask for,given that the information is in the public domain.
So as you suggest, I would like to employ a solicitor to follow up the case, and instruct me how I can benefit from the Estate my deceased relative would want me to have.
Do you think I should use the same Solicitor MB Legal who commissioned the Research Estate in the first place. I am not in the UK now,so I don't have personal face to face access to one.
Warm regards,
Richard Goulborn

[scrumpyjack]

Dear Clitheroe Kid,
thank you so much for your advice. I am in the same position as the person who posted about Estate Research Ltd.
I have received e-mails from them acknowledging me as a possible beneficiary of an Estate left by a deceased relative.
I know who the relative was,and I know approx how much the Estate is worth. I also have the name of the Solicitors who commissioned them
This company wants to receive 20% plus VAT of the Estate, which I feel is an extortionate amount to ask for,given that the information is in the public domain.
So as you suggest, I would like to employ a solicitor to follow up the case, and instruct me how I can benefit from the Estate my deceased relative would want me to have.
Do you think I should use the same Solicitor MB Legal who commissioned the Research Estate in the first place. I am not in the UK now,so I don't have personal face to face access to one.
Warm regards,
Richard Goulborn

Presumably there is nothing to stop you bypassing the lot of them and just applying yourself for Letters of Administration? It is quite a simple form to fill in if you know who the relatives are. That should put the cat among the pigeons