Sandra Walsh on coping with the rising tide of missing beneficiaries
Around 300,000 people die intestate in the UK each year. This is a statistic with which many legal practitioners will be familiar. The majority of these cases are satisfactorily resolved with appropriate beneficiaries receiving a fair distribution from the estate of the deceased. But there are increasing numbers of cases that result in claims from missing beneficiaries.
Now in its fourth series the popular BBC One documentary, Heir Hunters, has brought the issue of intestacy into sharp focus. Judging by the record-breaking viewing figures, this programme appears to have struck a chord with a wide and very interested public. It’s probably safe to assume that this interest is prompting more and more people to ask their solicitors about how they might protect themselves from long-lost or unknown relatives laying claim to a recent inheritance; or even to their own estate once they have died.
Benjamin Orders
The more traditional solutions to this question include seeking a Benjamin Order or obtaining indemnities from known beneficiaries to reimburse the estate should a missing beneficiary appear. But
