Heir Hunters

timbo58

Just to throw this idea out there: I do enjoy the heir hunters prog and am familiar being in the genealogy business myself with the way they search.

I sympathise with both parties here: the firms have prestigious offices and lots of staff= not cheap to run!
They do a lot of work most of which leads up blind alleys in the majority of cases, this doesn't earn anything at all.

We only hear of the cases they actually find.

I love the way a private commercial company managed to get free advertising via the BBC though! Wish we could do the same!

Also: why would an estate going to the crown be the 'big evil' it's portrayed though?
Surely anything going into the pot is a reason to lessen the tax burden on all -ok probably naive, but I am assuming crown takes money from HM Govt, therefore more money in the crown pot less tax needed from HM Govt?

As someone else has rightly said also: if the heir doesn't know about the estate do they really care that much?

bod1467

Going "to the Crown" actually means going into government coffers. It doesn't actually go directly into the coffers of Her Maj. (As far as I know).

timbo58

Thanks Ian, I did actually think that, but figured whichever way it had the same effect= less tax burden arguably.