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If someone dies without a will or known family, their ownerless property (bona vacantia) goes to the crown - check if you're an entitled relative, search for an estate, refer or claim on an estate

• Overview

  When someone dies with no will or known family, their property passes to…

• Who to contact

  The Government Legal Department handles bona vacantia in England and Wales…

• Check if you're an entitled relative

  You need to know if you’re entitled before making a claim on an estate.…

• Make a claim on an estate

  If you think you’re entitled to an estate in England and Wales (but not…

• Refer an estate

  If you know someone who has died with no will or known blood relatives,…

• Grants from a deceased person's estate

  You can apply for a grant from a deceased person’s estate if you could…

Value the estate of someone who's died so that you can get probate: work out if tax is due, check how to report the estate's value, complete the correct form.

• What you need to do

  To find out if there’s Inheritance Tax to pay, you need to value the…

• Identify assets and debts

  Before you can value the money, property and possessions (the estate) of…

• Estimate the estate’s value

  You need an estimate of the estate’s value (the money, property and…

• Check if you need to send full details of the estate

  Whether you need to report the value of the estate - and how you do this -…

• If Inheritance Tax is due or full details are needed

  You must report the value of the estate to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC)…

• Records

  You must keep certain records after you value an estate. HM Revenue and…

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