My probate question: my cousins ex-husband died last year and left a 17 year old son. Some time after their divorce he moved to UK and He starting working for Engineers company on till his untimely death in 2010. Is the Son entitled to get any benefit after his fathers death? If yes who we should contact in UK? His ex-wife and Son live in Poland, only Son visit his fother few times a year… is there anything we can do?
If he left a Will, then his assets should have been distributed under the terms of that Will.If not, they should have been distributed under the Rules of Intestacy – copy attached.If his assets were relatively modest, and did not include a home, then Probate may not have been required, so there is no straightforward way of finding out what happened, apart from contacting the people who dealt with the death, funeral etc.. If you know who his bank was, they may be able to shed some light on what has happened.Unless he has remarried, then his parents – if alive – or his soon would expect to have benefitted.One other possible source of information is the Treasury Solicitor who looks after the estate of people who don’t have any obvious heirs. That is at http://www.bonavacantia.gov.uk/output/.The Local Branch of the Law Society might circulate their members to see if any of them are dealing with the estate.If that fails, then you could pay a firm like Title Research to try to find out what happened. They are at www.titleresearch.com/.I do hope that helps!
Q: I’m not a relative of the lady, but was a good friend. She had no family and had promised to leave me her jewellery. She lived some 100 miles away and I have no idea of the Solicitor dealing with her estate. As I have heard nothing up to now. Am I to presume that she did not put this in her will, or could it be that the will has not been read/dealt with. How can I find out?A:
Apart from writing to every solicitor and Will Writer in the area, IF the will has been probated you will be able to get a copy of it via the Probate Registry. You can access them and buy copies at the Probate Search Room, First Avenue House, 42-49 High Holborn, London WC1V 6NP (tel: 020 7947 7022). The same applies to letters of administration, which are granted if no valid will was made or found.
Alternatively, without relatives it may be that no obvious beneficiaries could be found and that the estate was declared “bona vacantia” or ownerless – which is where “heir hunters” own their crust by tracing beneficiaries. It might put your mind at rest, but without a Will being found there is almost no chance of you getting what you were promised I am afraid!You can see the Treasury Solicitors Bona Vacantia site HEREIf there is a real dispute, this page on Probate Questions may be of assistance.