Loom resources · England & Wales
How to Claim an Unclaimed Estate in England & Wales
Found an unclaimed estate that might belong somewhere in your family tree? Here’s what you actually need to do next.
Finding a familiar name on the Bona Vacantia list is only the beginning. To make a successful claim, you’ll need to establish that you’re related to the person who died, that you’re entitled to inherit, and then provide the evidence the Bona Vacantia Division asks for.
The good news? You can make a claim yourself.
Quick answers
Quick answers about making a claim
Yes. You do not have to use an heir hunter or probate genealogist to make a claim. If you believe you’re an entitled relative, you can contact the Bona Vacantia Division (BVD) yourself and provide the family tree and evidence needed to establish your claim.
You need to show how you are related to the person who died and why that relationship makes you entitled to inherit.
Your family tree establishes the proposed connection. BVD may then ask for official records such as birth, marriage and death certificates to prove the links within it.
There isn’t one fixed timescale. It depends on the family, the evidence available, whether documents are missing or inconsistent, and what BVD needs before it can accept the claim.
Related: Why is my Bona Vacantia inheritance taking so long?
Found an estate? Start here.
Before ordering certificates or disappearing down a family-history rabbit hole, make sure you’re investigating the right person.
The official unclaimed estates list includes identifying information such as names, dates and places connected with the deceased.
A matching surname alone isn't enough.
Start with how to check the Bona Vacantia list, or step back and read what is Bona Vacantia?
Finding the estate is only the start.
The family connection is what you have to prove.
How to make a claim
01 — Check that you could be entitled
Work out the relationship first.
Before making a claim, work out exactly how you believe you’re related to the deceased.
Being related does not automatically mean you're entitled to inherit. Intestacy law determines which relatives inherit and the order in which they're entitled.
Rather than repeat the whole order here, read could you be entitled to an unclaimed estate?
If the relationship looks possible, move on to mapping it properly.
02 — Build the connection in your family tree
Show the route from you to the deceased.
You now need to show the route from you to the deceased.
Include relevant family members and, where known:
- full names
- dates of birth
- marriages
- dates of death
This is the first thing BVD asks for when you believe you’re entitled to an estate on its list.
At this point, think of your family tree as the map of your claim. The evidence comes next.
03 — Send your family tree to BVD
Family tree first.
BVD’s current guidance says that if you believe you’re entitled to an estate on its list, you should first send a family tree showing how you’re related to the person who died.
If it appears from that tree that you may be entitled, BVD will then ask you to provide the official documentary evidence supporting your claim.
That means you don't necessarily need to order every certificate you can possibly find before making initial contact.
Check the current official BVD claiming guidance for current submission details.
04 — Gather the evidence BVD asks for
Prove the links shown in your tree.
If your potential entitlement is established, BVD may ask you to provide documents proving the relationships shown in your tree.
These can include full birth certificates showing parents’ names, marriage certificates and other documents needed to connect each generation.
You'll also need identification proving your name and, separately, your name and address.
If names, dates or other details don't quite match across your records, BVD may ask you to explain the discrepancy and provide evidence supporting that explanation.
One useful warning before you start ordering documents
BVD's current guidance says downloaded PDF certificates supplied by the General Register Office do not have the evidential value it requires for these claims. Where a certificate is required for official purposes, a certified paper copy may be needed.
If BVD asks for census or 1939 Register evidence, it may also require the actual return rather than an online transcription.
So don't spend a small fortune ordering things at random.
Find the connection first. Then prove what actually needs proving.
05 — Submit your evidence
Quote the estate details.
For a new kin claim, BVD currently asks for scanned claim documentation to be submitted electronically, quoting both the BV reference number and the name of the deceased person.
You should not send original documents by post in the first instance. BVD accepts good-quality copies initially, although it can ask to see originals later.
Use the current official BVD guidance rather than relying on saved contact details.
06 — BVD assesses your claim
A claim is not automatically an acceptance.
Submitting a family tree and documents doesn't automatically make the estate yours.
BVD will assess whether the evidence supports your claimed relationship and entitlement.
If it isn't satisfied, it can explain why and may require further evidence. If your claim is accepted, BVD will confirm that in writing and tell you what needs to happen next.
There may also be other relatives entitled to a share of the same estate.
Once a claim has been accepted, the administrator has a legal duty to deal with the estate appropriately and distribute it among those entitled.
What if an heir hunter is already involved?
That doesn't stop you from understanding or investigating the claim yourself.
Heir hunters — also called probate genealogists — are private businesses. They do not work for BVD. Whether you use one is your decision.
Read an heir hunter contacted me — can I claim myself? and my relatives are using an heir hunter — do I have to?
Your claim checklist
- ✓ Is the estate still on the official BVD list?
- ✓ Have I confirmed it's the right person rather than relying on a matching name?
- ✓ Can I map the relationship between me and the deceased?
- ✓ Does that relationship potentially entitle me to inherit?
- ✓ Do I have the estate's BV reference number?
- ✓ Can I create a family tree clearly showing the connection?
If yes, you have something worth investigating.
Where Loom fits in
Everything above starts with one rather important assumption:
You found the estate in the first place.
The official Bona Vacantia list changes as estates are added and removed.
Most people aren't going to keep checking it and manually comparing names, dates and places against the people sitting quietly in their family tree.
That's the bit Loom is designed to help with.
Bring your existing family tree to Loom and we'll monitor the official records we support for possible connections.
If Loom finds something worth looking at, we alert you.
Then you decide whether to investigate it and, if appropriate, make a claim.
Keep reading
Follow the next thread
Family branches in Australia?
Relatives who settled in Queensland?
This guide covers England & Wales only. Queensland, Australia has its own separate rules and records.
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.
This guide covers Bona Vacantia estates administered by BVD in England and Wales. Different arrangements apply in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Duchies of Cornwall and Lancaster. It is general information, not legal advice.
Official sources