When somebody dies and leaves no will and there is no close relatives?

Question

Is that true that if you find a distant relative you gonna get a commission from the will?

Answer 1

absolutely yes.
Even if there is a will, you would be surprised to find out how many times distant relatives, people who are owed money from the dead person, etc. collect from the dead.
In my state, Ohio, when someone dies there has to be a notice ran in the legal news newspaper for thirty days announcing that so and so has died. This is so anybody who thinks they are entitled to some of their estate has time to come forward and make a claim. And do they ever.
In the past few years, just in the area where I live:
An old lady left about thirty million dollars to the church. Her brother and sister went to court (this is called contesting the will) and the probate judged ruled that they should get a few million each, so the church had to pay them. Even though the old lady had a will, the judge effectively over ruled the dead woman and changed her mind for her.

A probate judge, the judges who handle wills among other things, took a trip to Europe himself to look for relatives of a dead person so they could get a piece of the pie.

I'm afraid having a will doesn't mean much anymore because anyone can claim they deserve a piece, no matter how distant of a relative they are. Many times, they have never even met their dead relative.

When someone dies without a will, the probate judges often send one of their lawyer assistants to hunt for distant relatives (they are paid lots of money for this). When they find them, they hit the "death lottery" and collect money or houses,etc. If they can't find any relatives and no one else makes a claim on the estate, the money and assests belong to the state in which they died.

Answer 2

If there were absolutely no relatives at all not even distant distant distant rellies then it goes to the state as far as I know. I would rather leave a will for the postwoman or the milkman than leave it for the government's greedy mitts.

Answer 3

You could probably build a business by finding relatives and getting them to sign a contract that they pay you so much if they get something from the will. Would have thought a lot of people would be very dubious about it though, if they were contacted by a stranger out of the blue.

If not, Gordon Brown gets it!!!!

Answer 4

First you have to provide all birth and marriage certs at £7.00 each from you to that person. To prove their is a blood line.
Then you have to contact a solicitor. Then they will look into what the dead person left behind.
You may landed up with a large solicitor bill and nothing else as the person who has died has had a council burial, you would then be liable for the cost of the funeral and the clean up of the dead persons home etc...

Answer 5

With a will and without a will the estate will go into probate, the courts will decide how much will go to existing relatives and how much to the state. To avoid probate you need a "living trust"

Answer 6

stop feeling in charge for dealing with an extremely typical procedure. the bright grief that you're feeling at first even as a loved one dies isn't meant to very last indefinitely--that is too puzzling on us both mentally and bodily to proceed to be in that degree of grief. So we do flow on, even if we intend to, and that is typical, it really is high quality. you'll not in any respect forget the person who you love, yet time does boring the discomfort quite. you may want to flow on, or you'll go loopy.

Answer 7

There exist companies who find relatives - they get a small cut from the will.

Answer 8

No relatives, no will, then the government gets the lot.

Answer 9

not 100% but in the UK I think they post up the death in the newspaper and you have to come forward other than that it goes to the state.

Answer 10

Dont think so, I thought it goes to good old Gordon Brown.