Do I need a solicitor to claim a Bona Vacantia estate?

If you are a direct relative of the deceased — a child, sibling, or parent — and the family tree is straightforward and well documented, you may be able to handle the claim entirely on your own.

The GLD publishes guidance on its website about how to submit a claim, and the process is designed to be accessible to members of the public. You will need to gather the relevant certificates and submit a clear covering letter explaining your relationship to the deceased.

FindMyLegacy's case management tools can help you stay organised: tracking which documents you have gathered, recording your research notes, and managing the correspondence timeline.

For more complex cases, professional legal advice is strongly recommended. Complexity arises in several ways: a large or valuable estate, a complicated family tree with multiple branches to trace, potential disputes with other claimants, or a family history that spans multiple countries.

A solicitor who specialises in estate administration or genealogical claims will know how to present evidence in the form the GLD requires, how to respond to challenges from other claimants, and how to maximise the chances of a successful outcome.

Solicitors typically charge either an hourly rate or a fixed fee for this type of work. Some may offer a no-win-no-fee arrangement, though this is less common than in other areas of law.

Heir hunters are companies that locate potential claimants for Bona Vacantia estates and offer to manage the claim in exchange for a percentage of the inheritance — typically between 20% and 40% of the estate value.

You are under no obligation to use an heir hunter, and you are free to pursue the claim independently or through a solicitor of your own choosing. If an heir hunter contacts you, ask them to provide the BV reference number so you can research the estate yourself before agreeing to any contract.

Heir hunters are not regulated in the same way as solicitors, and their commission-based model means they have a financial interest in the size of the estate rather than your best outcome.

FindMyLegacy takes no commission on any claim. The service helps you find potential matches, understand your entitlement, organise your evidence, and manage your research — but we never take a share of any inheritance.

We believe everyone should have access to the information they need to understand and pursue their own claim, without being obligated to share the proceeds with a third party simply for being informed that the estate exists.

If you decide you need legal help, we recommend finding a solicitor through the Law Society's find-a-solicitor service and agreeing a clear fee structure upfront.

Whether you pursue a claim yourself or with professional help, there are some unavoidable costs. Birth, death, and marriage certificates from the General Register Office cost around £11–£35 each depending on the service level. A complex claim may require ten or more certificates.

If you instruct a solicitor, hourly rates for estate work typically range from £150 to £350 per hour depending on the firm and location. A straightforward claim might take 5–10 hours of solicitor time; a complex one significantly more.

Against these costs, bear in mind that Bona Vacantia estates can range from a few hundred pounds to hundreds of thousands of pounds. Even a modest estate can be worth pursuing if the documentary evidence is relatively easy to obtain.