Estate Research

Hi all - hoping for some advice.

My grandmother has received a letter from the above company informing her that she is a 'missing legatee' of a friend's will.

Does anyone have any info on this company or advice on this in general? The letter simply requests she contact the company ASAP. What would be the normal procedure? Would there be fees involved?

Any advice on what to do / words of caution would be much appreciated.

Thanks.

Comments

  • BobQ
    BobQ Posts: 11,181 Forumite
    Ninth Anniversary 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    edited 3 June 2014 at 11:40PM
    There are many firms like this. Let us assume they are a reputable firm (no reason to believe it is not).

    http://estateresearch.co.uk/beneficiaries.php

    From what you say, it could just be that the executors have paid the firm to track your grandmother down to give her the money. So the estate may be paying for their time. Do they say the name of her friend? If so and your GM knows the person it may be simply a question of putting her in touch with the executors

    However, many people die and leave estates that cannot be distributed for various reasons and some firms take on the risk of locating the rightful beneficiaries who would otherwise not know of their good fortune. In that case they may be charging your GM a sizeable commission from the legacy.. If they do not say the name of the deceased they are probably being employed or working on a commission basis.
    Few people are capable of expressing with equanimity opinions which differ from the prejudices of their social environment. Most people are incapable of forming such opinions.
  • Mojisola
    Mojisola Posts: 35,571 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    From another forum, it looks as if they charge 20+% of whatever inheritance is due to you.
  • BobQ
    BobQ Posts: 11,181 Forumite
    Ninth Anniversary 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Mojisola wrote: »
    From another forum, it looks as if they charge 20+% of whatever inheritance is due to you.

    You are probably right, but a friend of mine was contacted by such a firm, but they had just been paid by the executor of a will to make reasonable steps to find him. He got the full legacy specified and the costs of finding him (which was fairly easy) came out of the estate.
    Few people are capable of expressing with equanimity opinions which differ from the prejudices of their social environment. Most people are incapable of forming such opinions.
  • John_Pierpoint
    John_Pierpoint Posts: 8,398 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts
    edited 6 June 2014 at 11:58AM
    http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Bona+Vacantia+

    Well worth finding out what you can and then getting in touch with the probate researcher.

    If the beneficiary has to pay the costs, they are negotiable.

    madbadrob is a poster with practical experience in this field who might be able to give you a few pointers on how to handle the situation.
  • BobQ
    BobQ Posts: 11,181 Forumite
    Ninth Anniversary 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    edited 6 June 2014 at 8:28PM
    http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Bona+Vacantia+

    Well worth finding out what you can and then getting in touch with the probate researcher.

    If the beneficiary has to pay the costs, they are negotiable.

    madbadrob is a poster with practical experience in this field who might be able to give you a few pointers on how to handle the situation.

    True. Madbadrob has not posted for a few weeks OP, but you might have a search through his past posts as several give information from his experience doing this kind of work
    Few people are capable of expressing with equanimity opinions which differ from the prejudices of their social environment. Most people are incapable of forming such opinions.
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

🚀 Getting Started

Hi new member!

Our Getting Started Guide will help you get the most out of the Forum

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 350.2K Banking & Borrowing
  • 252.8K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 453.2K Spending & Discounts
  • 243.2K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 597.6K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 176.5K Life & Family
  • 256.1K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 16.1K Discuss & Feedback
  • 37.6K Read-Only Boards

Is this how you want to be seen?

We see you are using a default avatar. It takes only a few seconds to pick a picture.