The Heir Hunters List of Unclaimed Estates: What It Is and How to Search It

Every year, millions of pounds pass to the Crown from estates no one came forward to claim. The “heir hunters list” sits at the centre of all of it. But despite the name, it is not a secret document held by commercial firms — it is a publicly available register that anyone can search. Here is exactly what it is, what is on it, and how to use it.

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What is the heir hunters list?

The “heir hunters list” is the common name for the Bona Vacantia register— the official list of unclaimed estates maintained by the Government Legal Department's Bona Vacantia Division (BVD). Bona vacantia is Latin for “ownerless goods”, and in practice it describes what happens when someone dies without a will and without any known eligible relatives: their estate passes to the Crown.

Each entry on the list includes the deceased person's name, a unique BV reference number, their date of death, and their place of death. That is enough for a genealogist — commercial or otherwise — to begin tracing a family tree and identifying potential heirs.

The list was previously published daily on GOV.UK, but in July 2025 the Government temporarily removed it citing concerns over fraud and misuse. The underlying register still exists and claims are still being processed — but direct public access to the live list is currently limited. FindMyLegacy holds the full database and keeps it updated as new estates are referred to the Crown.

How estates end up on the list

An estate appears on the Bona Vacantia list when two conditions are met. First, the person died without a valid will (intestate). Second, no eligible relative came forward within the initial period to administer the estate.

Under the intestacy rules that apply in England and Wales, the order of entitlement runs: spouse or civil partner, then children, grandchildren, parents, siblings, half-siblings, grandparents, uncles and aunts, and half-uncles and aunts. If none of these relatives exist — or none can be traced — the estate passes to the Crown. Cohabiting partners and stepchildren have no automatic entitlement under intestacy, regardless of the relationship they had with the deceased.

Most estates on the list belong to people who died alone, with no immediate family contact. Some are elderly individuals who outlived their relatives. Others are people who simply had no way of recording their family connections. The result is the same: an estate sits unclaimed until someone does the research to find out whether a living heir exists.

How long do estates stay claimable?

Estates typically remain on the published register for 12 years from the date of death. After that, they are removed from the list — but that does not mean the money is gone.

A legitimate claim can be made for up to 30 years from the date of death. The clock starts from when the person died, not from when the estate appeared on the list or when you first found it. After 30 years, the estate passes permanently to the Crown with no further right of claim. So if you believe a relative died intestate decades ago, it is worth checking even if their estate no longer appears in the current searchable list.

Who is eligible to claim?

Eligibility is determined by the intestacy rules, not by closeness of relationship in any emotional sense. You must be able to prove a direct blood relationship (or a qualifying marriage or civil partnership) through the family tree. A first cousin twice removed who can document the connection in full has a valid claim; a lifelong friend who was the de facto carer of the deceased does not.

The further down the intestacy order you are, the more documentary evidence you will need. For distant relatives, that often means tracing multiple generations through birth, marriage, and death certificates — sometimes going back to the nineteenth century. Not sure whether you might qualify? Use our free intestacy entitlement checker to see where you fall in the order.

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How to search the unclaimed estates list

With the GOV.UK version of the list currently unavailable, the most practical way to search the register is through FindMyLegacy. The search uses Double Metaphone phonetic matching, which means you will also see results for spelling variants of your target surname. This matters more than it sounds: a search for “Clarke” without phonetic matching will miss “Clark”, and a search for “Mackenzie” will miss “McKenzie” or “MacKenzie”. Surname spellings shifted across generations, and the list reflects whatever records the registrar used at the time.

Once registered, you can also add surnames to a watchlist. FindMyLegacy will send you an email alert whenever a new estate matching your saved surnames appears — so you find out at the same time as anyone else, rather than waiting to be contacted by a commercial firm weeks or months later.

You can browse the current estate database by surname or region at /estates, or register for a free account to run a full phonetic search and set up surname alerts.

How to make a claim on an unclaimed estate

If you find a potential match — a surname that could be a relative, with a date and place of death that fits your family history — the next step is to verify the connection before contacting the Bona Vacantia Division.

1. Research the deceased's family tree using the BV reference, date, and place of death as your starting points
2. Gather documentary evidence: birth, marriage, and death certificates tracing your relationship to the deceased
3. Check whether probate has already been granted (a probate search can confirm this)
4. Contact the BVD directly with your evidence — claims can be submitted without a commercial intermediary
5. The BVD will assess your entitlement and, if verified, arrange for your share of the estate to be paid out

For a detailed walkthrough of the full process, including what evidence is needed at each stage, see our guide to making an inheritance claim on an unclaimed estate.

Do you need to use a commercial heir hunter?

No — and this is the most important thing to understand about the list. Commercial heir hunting firms use the same public register that you can search yourself. When a firm contacts you to say they have “identified” you as a potential heir, they found a name on the Bona Vacantia list and worked backwards through the family tree. The research may be valuable; the starting point is not proprietary.

Heir hunters typically charge 15–40% commission on the value of whatever you ultimately receive. On a £150,000 estate, a 25% commission costs £37,500. You can avoid that cost entirely by searching the list yourself, identifying the estate first, and either compiling the evidence independently or instructing a regulated probate solicitor (who charges transparent fees, not a percentage cut).

That said, professional help is sometimes genuinely worth having. If the family tree is complex, the records are in foreign archives, or multiple relatives are competing to claim, a specialist genealogist or probate solicitor adds real value. For a full breakdown, see how heir hunters work and when you might need one.

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Frequently asked questions

How many unclaimed estates are on the list?

The number fluctuates as new estates are added and old ones are resolved or expire. At any given time, there are typically several thousand active entries — currently over 5,400 in the FindMyLegacy database. The Government Legal Department adds new estates regularly as cases are referred by solicitors, local authorities, and other parties who have become aware of an intestate death with no known relatives.

How do heir hunters find potential heirs?

They start with the Bona Vacantia list. From the name, date of death, and place of death, they research the family tree using birth, marriage, and death records from the General Register Office, census returns, electoral rolls, and historical documents. Once they identify a living relative, they make contact with a contract offer. The genealogical research is legitimate — but you can do the same search yourself, for free.

Can I search the heir hunters list for free?

Yes. The underlying Bona Vacantia register is a public document. FindMyLegacy gives you free phonetic search across the full database, a surname watchlist with email alerts, and an AI assistant to help with your research — no commission, no contract.

What happens to unclaimed estates after 30 years?

After 30 years from the date of death, the right to claim expires permanently. The money passes to the Crown and cannot be reclaimed, regardless of how strong your evidence might be. If you have reason to believe a relative died intestate more than 25 years ago, act now — the window is closing.

Do I need a solicitor to claim an unclaimed estate?

Not necessarily. The Bona Vacantia Division accepts claims directly from individuals. For straightforward cases — where the relationship to the deceased is close and the documentary evidence is complete — many people compile and submit their own claim successfully. For complex family trees, disputed claims, or large estates, a regulated probate solicitor is worth instructing.

What is the difference between the Bona Vacantia list and the unclaimed estates list?

They are the same thing. “Unclaimed estates list”, “Bona Vacantia list”, and “heir hunters list” are all names for the same register maintained by the Government Legal Department. The official term is “bona vacantia”; the others are informal names that have grown up around it.