Genealogy in the UK is an unregulated industry, with very few barriers to entry. As such, there are numerous firms of Heir Hunters, large and small, that can present themselves as reputable firms able to assist the legal profession.
Title Research is the only major UK genealogy firm that specialises in solely working with Private Client Practitioners, and one of only four firms to be regulated by the FCA for insurance mediation purposes.
Some professionals find themselves dealing with an estate that has had involvement from Heir Hunters, which has not fully resolved the matter, and they need support. Some scenarios we’ve resolved include:
Heir Hunters withholding beneficiary details
A firm of Solicitors approached us to help them finalise an intestate estate. Some months ago, they had instructed an Heir Hunter to prepare a family tree and find all the potential heirs. As the Heir Hunter had been instructed on a contingency basis, they were agreeing fees with the individual beneficiaries. Unfortunately, one of the heirs refused to sign an agreement giving 20% of their inheritance to the Heir Hunter, and the Heir Hunter refused to pass on the beneficiary’s details as a result. The Solicitor turned to us, and for a fixed fee and within one week we had located the beneficiary, reported her details to the Solicitor and allowed them to finalise the estate.
Securing Missing Beneficiary Insurance for an intestate estate
We were approached by a firm of Solicitors to advise on an intestate estate. The Solicitor had referred the family tree to a firm of Heir Hunters to carry out a free family tree check, which had been carried out. As the estate was valued at approximately £500,000 the Personal Representative wanted to obtain Missing Beneficiary Indemnity Insurance before distribution. Unfortunately, when the insurers saw the brief report prepared by the Heir Hunter, they were unable to offer a quotation because it did not meet their requirements. Our solution was to carry out full and thorough research and to prepare a report that was suitable for obtaining insurance. For a fixed fee we carried out this work, and for no extra charge, arranged insurance at the conclusion.
Tracing a missing legatee to resolve a delayed estate distribution
A Legal Executive got in touch with us to help them with an estate where there was a Will, but there was a legatee due £15,000 whose whereabouts were unknown. There was an old UK address in the Will, and to try and resolve the matter they had instructed a tracing agent to locate the Legatee. This was unsuccessful, and we were asked to help arrange insurance as an alternative. As we had not carried out the research, this was not possible, but we carried out our Address Checker service, and for a fixed fee, we identified a likely current address which we passed to our client. The Legatee was located, insurance was no longer needed, and our client could close their file.
Assisting Solicitors with insurance after Heir Hunter research on an intestate estate
A Solicitor was dealing with an intestacy and had instructed an Heir Hunter to produce a family tree and locate the potential heirs. At the conclusion, insurance was required but the Heir Hunter was not able to arrange this as they are not regulated by the FCA for insurance mediation purposes. We were approached to help as our regulation status allows us to liaise with insurers directly. As the first stage of the underwriting process is us confirming that all reasonable avenues of enquiry have been undertaken, we had to repeat the research and produce a report suitable for insurance purposes. We did so and subsequently arranged an insurance policy on behalf of our client.
Are you a legal professional facing similar issues? Contact us for a free research assessment.
Title Research can support you if you find yourself in this position. Without judgment or obligation, we will review the circumstances of your file and provide a free research assessment and work with you to find a suitable solution. We can also provide educational support to help guide you and your team to help with possible future estates.
If you have a problem probate file that an Heir Hunter has not fully resolved, we can help you close it, permanently.
About Title Research
As an established business with trusted contacts and specialist partners both at home and abroad, Title Research knows where to look to find the information and the people you need. Theirs is the last word in locating heirs, with no costly comebacks or complications, guaranteed. In fact, their thorough approach to every task ensures that you’re always compliant and covered.
Title Research provides a range of genealogical research and asset repatriation services for legal professionals. Their services are designed to streamline the estate administration process, take the effort out of locating the correct people or assets, and mitigate the risk of future disputes or complications.
This article was submitted to be published by Title Research as part of their advertising agreement with Today’s Wills and Probate. The views expressed in this article are those of the submitter and not those of Today’s Wills and Probate.
