Beneficiaries

Have you received a purple envelope from us and have some more questions?

Perhaps you have already signed a contract with us?

 

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!

Want to join the Family Wise team?

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We have helped thousands of beneficiaries in over 40 countries and across 6 continents - find out how we can help you!

More Success Stories

I learned from Family Wise that I was the beneficiary from the estate of a relative who died intestate. Although his estate was in the UK and I am in the US which made things a bit more complicated., Family Wise went out of their way to make getting the estate settled as easy for me as possible and although it took some years, they were diligent in keeping me up to date as to what was happening and ultimately securing the funds were sent to me. They are a very professional firm and I would recommend them without hesitation to anyone needing their types of services.

Linda Young

Peyton from Family Wise Limited was very helpful. My family is in the United States, so this process was strange to us. Peyton was patient with us and walked us through the process. Thank you so much for your professionalism.

Tammy Byrd

Highly professional and efficient are the ways I would describe Family Wise Ltd. Whilst the findings of my inheritance were not life-changing amounts, the service I received was superb. Thank you so much for your efforts Family Wise, it was greatly appreciated.

Bob Prior

Totally out of the blue I was contacted by Family Wise Limited that I had a distant relative that had died with an unclaimed estate. With a 120 year researched family tree thrown in and a cheque I received today, all I can say is well done Family Wise Limited, and thank you to the very pleasant staff.

Peter Warneford-Bygrave

Thank you all at Family Wise for all the work that was carried out to recover money. Was very interesting to receive the family tree.

Avis Rose

Excellent service and through Family Wise, I discovered things I never knew regarding my mother

Carole Rust

Family Wise are a legitimate company and provide excellent service.
They were able to resolve the payment of a deceased relative’s funds to myself and family members for a reasonable admin fee.

Christopher McKeown

Family Wise contacted us (we’re in Australia) last year about our brother. They were very professional and trustworthy. I do not hesitate in recommending them.

Margaret Rees-Lee

The service is excellent it was in regard to my late wife’s uncle Brian Christopher Smith, who just received a letter about the family’s history. My wife lost touch with a lot of her family on her mother’s side. Thank you for all your help.

Michael Woolsey
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