Leeds and Bradford named some of the areas with the most unclaimed estates in the UK

Latin for ‘vacant goods’, bona vacantia is the term given to ownerless property, which by law passes to the Crown. If a person dies intestate (without a will in their name), their possessions will be passed down to their next of kin, such as their children or married partner.

However, if the deceased has no known kin, their possessions pass to the Crown, which administers their estate until a relative makes a claim on their estate. The UK government publishes a list of estates, which is updated regularly to include the latest unclaimed estates.

The wills and probate solicitors at Beecham Peacock have looked through the latest list of unclaimed estates to find out which surnames have the best chance of being entitled to property. It could be a distant relative or maybe a coincidence.

It was found that Smith is the most commonly-held surname to have an unclaimed estate, with 111 different estates remaining unclaimed.

Jones is the second-most commonly-held surname, with 71 estates sitting unclaimed, whilst William (47), Brown (46), and Taylor (41) round out the top five.

Birmingham is the area with the most unclaimed estates with 152, followed by Leeds and Bradford.

Gov.uk hosts a list of unclaimed estates, which is updated daily with details of new estates and the list covers unclaimed estates with dates of death ranging all the way back to June 1974.

As of June 14, 2023, there were 6,370 estates remaining unclaimed as bona vacantia.

The most commonly-held surnames to have an unclaimed estate

Smith (111)

Jones (71)

Williams (47)

Brown (46)

Taylor (41)

Wilson (35)

Thomas (33)

Johnson (31)

Davies (30)

Ryan (26)

The regions with the most unclaimed estates

1 - Birmingham, West Midlands (152)

2 - Leeds, West Yorkshire (107)

3 - Bradford, West Yorkshire (69)

4 - Camden, London NW1 (66)

5 - Lewisham, London SE13 (62)

6 - Leicester, Leicestershire (60)

7 - Nottingham, Nottinghamshire (59)

8 - Croydon, Surrey (57)

9 - Southampton, Hampshire (54)

10 - Hammersmith, London W6 (53)

How to claim an unclaimed estate

If you believe you may be entitled to a deceased relative’s unclaimed estate, there are steps to take.

You will first have to check whether the relative’s estate is listed with the Crown. If you are able to find the estate you believe is your relative’s from the gov.uk website.

Once you have done this, you will be required to make a claim to the estate; you may be entitled to a portion of the estate or all of it, depending on whether there are any other claimants. It is strongly advised that you choose a trustworthy solicitor to support you through this process. They will ensure you take the right steps to get everything you are entitled to.

Solicitor at Beecham Peacock, Anna Harbinson, said: “The number of unclaimed estates in the UK grows bigger every day - and often, many of the deceased’s records are missing, indicating a lack of available information. If you have any information about a distant family member who has passed away, you could help connect the rest of your family to their estate.”