List of 141 unclaimed estates in Leeds you could inherit if you have these surnames - how to claim

If you have one of these surnames, Treasury has released its list of unclaimed estates in Leeds that you could be entitled to. An unclaimed estate is when someone passes away without having an effective will in place, and no family comes  forward to claim their estate.

When this happens, the deceased’s property will become ‘ownerless property’ and will be in possession of the Crown. However, within a 12-year period from when the Crown possesses the estate, family members can come forward if they believe they are entitled to a share of the deceased’s relative’s property.

For unclaimed estates before 1997, the Treasury will allow claims up to 30 years from the date of the person’s death, subject to no interest being paid on the money that is held - if the claim is received after the 12-year period has ended.

An unclaimed estate, according to the Treasury, might be any form of property, including buildings, money, or personal possessions.

Who is entitled to an unclaimed estate?

If someone dies without leaving a valid or effective will the following relatives are entitled to the estate in the order shown below:

1. Husband, wife or civil partner
2. Children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and so on
3. Mother or father
4. Brothers or sisters who share both the same mother and father, or their children (nieces and nephews)
5. 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
6. Grandparents
7. Uncles and aunts or their children (first cousins or their descendants)
8. 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

If you are, for example, a first cousin of the deceased, you would only be entitled to share in the estate if there are no relatives above you in the order of entitlement, for example, a niece or nephew.

Names of the unclaimed estates in Leeds

You can find the estates left unclaimed belonging to people who were born or died in Leeds, in the table below:

Please visit the Government website to make your claim or find out more information about the deceased.