On 7 July 2025, the list of intestate estates known as the ‘Bona Vacantia unclaimed estates list’ was taken down from public view. The list was taken down following a BBC investigation that found evidence that organised criminals were using this to fraudulently inherit money from these estates. My colleague Lucy Wright previously explored this topic in her article which you can read here.
An intestate estate is when a person dies without leaving a valid Will. The estate will then pass under the laws of intestacy. If no entitled relatives can be located, these estates will be listed with the Bona Vacantia Division under the unclaimed estates list. Family members have 30 years from the date of death to claim these estates. If an estate is not claimed within this period, it will then become the property of the Crown.
On 12 January 2026, the Bona Vacantia unclaimed estates list was reinstated for public view. The Bona Vacantia Division and Government Legal Department reviewed the publication since its removal and concluded that there was no evidence of fraud as a result of the list being publicly accessible. Whilst no source of fraud was found, the Bona Vacantia Division have decided to restrict the data contained in the list to prevent any attempt at fraud. The information contained on the list is now limited to the deceased’s name, date of death, area where they died and case reference number. Any further information requests will be assessed on a case-by-case basis and will be in accordance with the statutory requirements. The aim is to strike a balance between the protection of the list whilst providing sufficient information for family members to discover estates they may be entitled to. The list’s reinstatement provides solace for many families where this may be the only way of locating a relative who has died intestate.
The Bona Vacantia Division will keep the list under review and may restrict access or remove the same without notice if further allegations arise.
Although estates passing to the Crown are rare, the unclaimed estates list (as at the time of writing) contains details of around 5,500 unclaimed estates. As the list has now become more restrictive and access can be removed at any point, it may prove more difficult for these estates to be identified and claimed. The best way to ensure this does not happen is having a Will which appoints executors who you trust to distribute your estate in accordance with your wishes and to not rely on the intestacy rules.
The Private Client Team at Warners is accredited with the Law Society’s Wills and Inheritance Quality scheme quality mark, which reflects best practice for Wills and the administration of estate advice. Regardless of the size or complexity of your estate, please do not hesitate to contact our friendly team at [email protected] or on 01732 770660 to assist in preparing your Will.
This article is for general information only and does not constitute legal or professional advice. Please note the law may have changed since this article was published.
We do not accept responsibility or liability for any actions taken based on the information in this article.
