What is Intestacy?
Intestacy refers to when someone dies without leaving a valid will (known as dying intestate). When this occurs, the deceased’s estate must be passed out according to certain rules. If the deceased’s nearest next of kin cannot be located, the estate is passed to the Crown to hold. This is where we come in – by locating the estate on the “Bona Vacantia” list (the “ownerless goods” list), we trace back the deceased’s family tree until we find the closest (in terms of relation) living ancestor(s).
Why have I Been Contacted?
You have been contacted as we believe that you – or someone in relation to you – may be a beneficiary to one of these intestate estates. Upon our initial contact, we request that you get in touch – be it via email, telephone, or physical mail – to progress our research!
Once we hear back from you, we will ask you to sign a contract – should the connection be confirmed by yourself. This is a legal requirement, as it grants us permission to act on your behalf with resolving the estate.
Is This a Scam & How to Protect Yourself?
Often, when you have been found as a beneficiary to an intestate estate, you will receive many letters at once, from various different heir hunting firms. For many, this situation can seem overwhelming – irrespective of the fact that free money often sounds too good to be true.
For this reason, it is imperative that you check the legitimacy of any firm thoroughly. For extra reassurance, you should:
- Check any points of contact for spelling and grammar issues;
- Check the authenticity of the establishment on Companies House;
- Check the Information Commissioner’s Office – any GDPR compliant business should be found here;
- Check the company’s social media channels and website, checking for grammatical errors. Cross reference information found on the website with other online channels, checking for inconsistencies;
- Check the company’s online testimonials to see what previous clients have to say.
Why You Should Sign with Family Wise?
Here at Family Wise, we operate by taking the entirety of the risk and will never ask you for money – we only want to give it to you! Following the conclusion of an estate, we will take an agreed percentage commission from the final sum of money – so, if the estate ends up insolvent, you are never left out of pocket! This is a contrast to how most other heir hunting firms work: many charge an hourly rate, whilst also taking a percentage commission at the end of the process.
Just take a look at what some of our previous clients have to say!
