Brummies With These 16 Surnames Could Receive Millions in Forgotten Fortunes

Details of more than 150 unclaimed properties belonging to people who died in Birmingham have been revealed by The Treasury. The Treasury’s latest list shows there are almost 6,000 unclaimed properties across the UK – with 155 of them belonging to people who died in Birmingham.

Unclaimed estates usually occur when the deceased did not leave a will or the beneficiaries of the will cannot be traced – and next of kin cannot be found either. This means there are hundreds of thousands of pounds of inheritance waiting in limbo for a legitimate heir.

In a bid to find family members, the government publishes a list of unclaimed properties, which is updated daily. These are the 16 surnames currently on the unclaimed property list in Birmingham – could you win a windfall?

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Surnames of those who could be heirs to an unexpected fortune

Surnames for unclaimed property in Birmingham include:

• Burton
• Sucks
• Doyle
• Singh
• Blacksmith
• Callahan (Callaghan)
• To lead
• Cruzley
• Pech
• Tehran
• Battlefield
• Ajike
• All
• Babb
• Barlow
• Bell

How to claim a property

If no relatives are found within 30 years, the dormant estate becomes the property of the Crown. Fiona Mainwaring, Head of Wills and Probate at Stafford-based law firm ORJ, said: “There are clear rules for distributing an estate to family members when there is no will in place, following a strict order of priority that starts with married or civil partners and ends with half-sibling aunts and uncles.

“If no beneficiaries can be traced, the estate simply sits in limbo until, after 30 years, it becomes the property of the Crown. With people moving around the world more than ever before, it is no surprise that it is sometimes difficult to trace next of kin. The result is that these forgotten fortunes lie dormant and are eventually handed over.

“The sheer volume of unclaimed assets shows how important it is to have a valid and up-to-date will, along with a named executor, which makes it much easier to divide assets when the time comes.”

Fiona said anyone who believes they may have received something in a will can search the probate records to find out who to contact when the estate is dealt with. “If there is a will, it is possible to obtain a copy for a nominal fee along with the Grant of Probate, which will include the contact details of the executor,” Fiona added.

“If there is no will and you believe you qualify under the rules of intestacy, a copy of the Grant of Letters of Administration can be obtained which will include details of the Administrators.”

More details about the properties and how to claim them can be found here.