TYPICALLY, when someone dies, they have either drawn up a will, or have immediate family near by to take care of their estate.

But sometimes, and often in sad circumstances, people will die alone, without any close family in contact with them.

Luckily, these situations are fairly uncommon, but when they do take place, HM Treasury takes care of the person’s homes and estates when there isn’t a will or no named next-of-kin.

As a result, those people’s estates are left unclaimed – and can sometimes be worth a great deal of money.

Currently in Gwent, there are 17 estates which have been left unclaimed by surviving family members.

The government produces a spreadsheet, which is regularly updated, along with details of how someone who may have a claim can collect it.

It is well worth noting that many of the names on the list have been on there for a long time, and the majority of unclaimed estates are believed to be people who have died alone or were, spinsters, widows, bachelors or single people.

Below, you can check out the current unclaimed estates in Gwent.

The unclaimed estates in Gwent

Am I entitled to claim for an estate?

If someone dies without leaving a valid or effective will (intestate) 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.

More information can be found on the UK Government website here.