Loom resources
Unclaimed estates, explained in plain English.
Free guides to bona vacantia, the official Unclaimed Estates List, intestacy in England & Wales and the heir hunters who might one day write to your family.
People. Stories. Connections.
All woven together.
England & Wales · Unclaimed estates & bona vacantia
The official records, without the legal fog
- Start hereBona Vacantia: What It Is & How the Unclaimed Estates List WorksWhat bona vacantia actually means, why an estate can become “ownerless”, and why “unclaimed” does not always mean “no family exists”.Read the guide
- Step by stepHow to Check the Bona Vacantia ListHow to search the official Unclaimed Estates List for free, which family names actually matter, and what a familiar surname does and doesn’t tell you.Read the guide
- England & WalesCould You Be Entitled to an Unclaimed Estate?The intestacy order in England & Wales, which relatives qualify, how far out family can inherit — and why being family isn’t the same as being entitled.Read the guide
- Step by stepHow to Claim an Unclaimed Estate in England & WalesHow to map the family connection, approach BVD, gather the evidence it asks for and understand what happens next.Read the guide
- Bona Vacantia listI Found a Name on the List — Now It’s Gone. Why?Why estates disappear from the official list, what each reason can mean and how to investigate what happened.Read the guide
- England & WalesWhat Happens When Someone Dies Without a Will or Known Family?How an intestate estate with no known relatives reaches the Bona Vacantia Division, and how wider family can still matter.Read the guide
- England & WalesWhy Is a Bona Vacantia Inheritance Taking So Long?Where an estate can be waiting, who to ask at each stage, and what you can realistically do while it moves.Read the guide
Queensland, Australia
Unclaimed money and estates in Queensland
Queensland has its own laws and records — separate from England & Wales.
- Queensland, AustraliaHow to Find and Claim an Unclaimed Inheritance in QueenslandSearching Queensland Public Trustee's unclaimed money register, what finding a name means, and how deceased-estate claims work.Read the guide
- Queensland, AustraliaWhat Happens When a Beneficiary Can't Be Found in Queensland?How a missing beneficiary's share can become unclaimed money, the 2, 6 and 25-year stages, and later claims.Read the guide
- Queensland, AustraliaI Found Unclaimed Money for a Deceased Relative — Can I Claim It?Who can claim money on Queensland's unclaimed money register for someone who has died, what QPT asks for, and where approved money goes.Read the guide
- Queensland, AustraliaWhat Happens When Someone Dies Without a Will in Queensland?Who inherits under the Succession Act 1981, the 30-day survivorship rule, and how letters of administration work.Read the guide
Heir hunters
When the letter arrives
- Heir huntersHow Do Heir Hunters Find You?How probate genealogists trace a family from the person who died all the way to a living relative who has never heard of them.Read the guide
- Heir huntersAn Heir Hunter Has Contacted Me — Can I Claim Myself?What the letter usually means, the difference between signing and not signing, and the questions to ask before you agree to anything.Read the guide
- Heir huntersMy Relatives Are Using an Heir Hunter — Do I Have To?Why one relative’s signature doesn’t bind the rest of the family, and how beneficiary agreements differ from administering the estate.Read the guide
Family tree files
Bringing your tree to Loom
Put the tree to work
Your family tree shouldn’t just sit there.
Put it to work.
Put my family tree to workLoom identifies potential connections. It does not establish legal entitlement, guarantee inheritance, file claims or prove a relationship.