When a person dies without leaving a will and there appears to be no family members the estate falls to the Crown in Scotland as Ultimus Haeres (literally meaning "Last Heir").
An estate can be anything from property, personal possessions and money.
In general, estates held on the list can be claimed within a 20-year deadline, from the date the estate was taken into possession of the Crown.
You could be entitled to a share of a deceased relative’s property if you can prove you are related.
There are over a dozen estates left unclaimed by people who were either born or died in Glasgow.
The list of unclaimed estates is updated and published daily on the government’s website.
If QLTR is notified more than 20 years from the date of death, the estate will be available for 2 years from the date advertised.
If someone dies without leaving a valid or effective will the following are entitled to the estate in the order shown below:
- husband, wife or civil partner
- children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and so on
- mother or father
- brothers or sisters who share both the same mother and father, or their children (nieces and nephews)
- half brothers or sisters or their children (nieces and nephews of the half blood or their children). ‘Half ’ means they share only one parent with the deceased
- grandparents
- uncles and aunts or their children (first cousins or their descendants)
- half uncles and aunts or their children (first cousins of the half blood or their children). ‘Half’ means they only share one grandparent with the deceased, not both
If you are, for example, a first cousin of the deceased, you would only be entitled to share in the estate if there are no relatives above you in the order of entitlement, for example, a niece or nephew.
To find out how you can claim an estate in Scotland, you can find advice on the QLTR website here.
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