Am I entitled to inherit

DickyRobbo44

So to cut a long story short, my dad got remarried to my step mum. She died shortly after them getting married (they have been together 15 years or so). My dad cared for her dad but my dad died suddenly a year later also leaving my step mum's dad. He then died not long after.

Ive just seen in the local newspaper my step mum's dad's estate is still unclaimed. As far as I know he had no living relatives. I discounted myself at the start as not blood related. There was no one else but me and my wife at the funeral. 

Do I have a claim to this? I just don't want what he had to go to the state. I doubt he had a lot. 

Flugelhorn

it would only go to blood relatives of step mum's dad.

theoretica

Did step mum formally adopt you? 

DickyRobbo44

No not formally adopted. Step mum's dad has no blood relatives, so what happens in that case?

lincroft1710

If there are no surviving relatives the estate will usually go to the state

Brie

Sorry for your loss, all three of them - it makes it difficult when things happen in quick succession. 

Do you know if there was a will from anyone or who is dealing with everything?  That would be the first step in sorting things.  I don't know the legalities but if it's only you and your wife that are tidying up then there's no one to say what should be done with the little things.  If there are things you value due to the fact that you're talking about someone who is essentially your step grandfather I honestly don't think anyone would argue with you gathering up pictures, books etc to take home.  Bank accounts and bricks&mortar however would need to be dealt with to the letter of the law so it's possible those will go to the state once any debts are cleared.  

Obviously if the order of deaths had been different with your dad as the last one then things would be much more clear.

Spendless

DickyRobbo44 said:

No not formally adopted. Step mum's dad has no blood relatives, so what happens in that case?

Intestacy chart. Unsure if that's for everywhere in UK or just England. 

 https://www.hughjames.com/documents/docs/2020/intestacy-rules-flow-chart-february-2020-6443.pdf

unforeseen

There will be surviving relatives somewhere although they may only be distantly related. It would probably take an heir hunter to find them but it all depends on whether the estate is worth doing all that work for.
Otherwise, as said, it will be a bona vacantia estate and the state will eventually absorb it after 12-14 years

74jax

When your dad died, where did his Estate go to? 

theoretica

unforeseen said:

There will be surviving relatives somewhere although they may only be distantly related. It would probably take an heir hunter to find them but it all depends on whether the estate is worth doing all that work for.
Otherwise, as said, it will be a bona vacantia estate and the state will eventually absorb it after 12-14 years

If there are no living descendants of the intestate person's grandparents then the estate goes to the state - even if more distant relatives are known about or found.

DickyRobbo44

I thought as much. The council tried to locate any relatives of his but I guess they couldn't. 

I was able to take back some photo albums that we gave him when my step mum died.

No will or anything, he was homed by the council in a care home. The council dealt with it all including the funeral arrangements. As I said before I had only met him a few times.