See surnames for unclaimed estates in Bradford district

The Treasury has revealed details about all the unclaimed estates of people who died in Bradford - meaning hundreds of pounds worth of inheritance is sat in limbo. 

The latest list provides details of almost 6,500 unclaimed estates across the UK – with combined assets possibly running into nine-figures.

Official figures from 2021 showed that a total of £77 million in unclaimed inheritance was languishing in Treasury coffers.

Unclaimed estates, classed as ‘ownerless property’, occur when there is no will – or the beneficiaries of the will cannot be traced - and the next family member, following the rules of intestacy, cannot be found.

The Treasury only advertises estates with a net value of £500 or above.

Unclaimed estates in Bradford

The surnames of deceased people in Bradford where estates are unclaimed are:

• Bekulard
• Buterlewicz
• Campbell 
• Cleminson
• Cooper
• Czorneha
• Das
• Dickson 
• Durda
• Field 
• Firth
• Gilbert
• Grant
• Greenwood
• Hamilton
• Hanik
• Hardy
• Harris
• Harrison
• Hawkes
• Hododryga
• Hoolahan
• Hudson
• Hughes
• Ichu
• Jackson
• Jekki
• Keenan
• Khan
• Kinnear
• Kish
• Leach
• Maltanski
• Marshall
• Martin
• Masztalerz
• McCarten
• McDonagh
• McNamara
• Mraczynska
• Naughton
• Oles
• Papp
• Patchett
• Pennington
• Pieris
• Pilling
• Priestley
• Puffitt
• Radzevicius
• Rowbottom
• Scott-Smart
• Shah
• Singh
• Smith
• Storey
• Subhan
• Taylor
• Titterington
• Toth
• Trbojevic
• Walsh
• Watkins
• Whitfield
• Wilkinson 
• Zawadzki
• Zielonka
• Barker
• Bryant
• Plantagenet
• Zadelek

If no relative can be found within 12 years, the dormant estate becomes the property of the Crown, albeit it is still possible to make a claim if you are legitimately entitled.

Craig Ridge, Head of Contentious Probate at leading law firm Higgs LLP, said claiming an estate is a straightforward process for those entitled to it.

“If you are aware of the death, there really is no need for the services of heir hunters, which typically charge between 10 and 15 per cent,” said Craig.

“Unclaimed estates generally come about when someone dies without a Will and no one steps forward to deal with the estate.

“Should you believe you are entitled to an estate, and there is a will, it’s sometimes as simple as writing to the executors of the will and they will do everything for you from that point.

"If the executors do not respond, there are other things you can do but you may need some advice on how to go about it.”

If there is no valid will, then there is an order of priority as to who can apply to administer the estate, starting with any spouse of the deceased.

Entitlement to the estate in these situations is then governed by the rules of intestacy which follow a strict order.

“If you know someone has died and you believe you might have been left something, then you can simply search the probate records, or set up an alert for yourself, so that you know who to contact when the estate is dealt with,” said Craig.

“If there is a will, for a nominal fee you can get a copy of that will together with the Grant of Probate which will give you contact details for the executors. If there is no will, you can similarly get a copy of the Grant of Letters of Administration, which will give you the Administrators’ contact details, whilst separately checking the intestacy rules to see if you may be entitled to anything.

“If, after some time, no one deals with the estate then it may also be worth checking the Treasury List to see if the estate is unclaimed.”

How to claim an unclaimed estate

Those who wish to make a claim should gather up the necessary evidence, including a family tree showing your relationship and two pieces of identification: one showing your name and one showing your name and address, dated within the last three months.

People may also be asked to send birth, death or marriage certificates.

For more information, visit the Government website via www.gov.uk/guidance/make-a-claim-to-a-deceased-persons-estate