Heir hunters from Fraser and Fraser are urging people to make a will this Free Wills Month, after an extensive investigation uncovered 27 previously unidentified relatives entitled to inherit from two estates worth £1.2 million.
The firm, which has helped reunite relatives with their families’ missing fortunes for almost a century, is sharing the tragic story after research found more than a quarter (27%) of over-55s do not have a will in place.
Probate researchers from Fraser and Fraser said that complex family trees are more commonplace than ever, and few consider what happens if they die without a will.
Their investigation began after a woman died leaving her estate to her husband, who then died without a will before her estate had been fully administered.
To find them, the team had to go back generations, piece together a family tree and follow a branch nobody initially knew was there.
With no children to trace, attention turned to the husband’s wider family. His father’s only full sibling had died in infancy, leaving probate genealogists with few obvious relatives to pursue.
The investigation eventually led to the deceased’s paternal grandfather, who had been married twice. Children from his first marriage revealed an entirely new branch of the family, giving the genealogists a fresh line of enquiry.
Tracing that branch took the team across all four corners of England and Wales and as far as Australia, where some relatives had moved, before all 27 heirs had been identified and documented.
As the husband had also been the sole beneficiary of his wife’s estate, the same relatives were beneficiaries of hers, allowing the administration of both estates to continue.
Giles Medd, private client case manager at Fraser and Fraser, who led the search for the 27 heirs, said: “Inheriting from a half-sibling isn’t particularly unusual, but inheriting from a cousin of the half-blood is much rarer.
“Someone could be entitled to a substantial inheritance through a grandparent’s first marriage, despite never having met the person who died or even knowing they were related.
“It’s quite possible to have money waiting for you from a relative whose name you’ve never heard before.
“With Free Wills Month underway, I’d encourage people to make sure they’ve decided who should inherit their estate, particularly if they want to provide for an unmarried partner, a close friend or someone who wouldn’t otherwise be entitled to anything.”
When someone dies without a valid will, their estate is distributed according to the rules of intestacy, which determine who can inherit based on their family relationship to the deceased.
Research by Canada Life found a third (33%) of UK adults incorrectly believe everything automatically passes to their loved ones when they die without a will.
Free Wills Month runs throughout October, offering people aged 55 and over the opportunity to have a simple will written or updated free of charge through participating solicitors.
This article was submitted by Fraser and Fraser as part of an advertising agreement with Today’s Wills and Probate. The views expressed in this article are those of the advertiser and not those of Today’s Wills and Probate.
