Buying and selling leads in cases of intestacy
Posted in Fairness Campaigns, For Solicitors
In this article Peter Turvey discusses a disturbing trend that has emerged in the probate genealogy and heir location sector: buying and selling leads in cases of intestacy.
Read moreTracing absentee freeholders
Posted in For Solicitors
At Anglia Research we frequently locate absentee landlords, or their successors in title, for leaseholders who wish to sell – or extend – their leases, or buy the freehold of their property. In this article, Rosie Kelly summarises the various options open to lessees who are unable to contact a missing freeholder.
Read moreHow murder affects inheritance rules
Posted in For Solicitors
Recently one of our case managers was searching through historic records when she stumbled upon a probate entry for Frederick Walter Stephen West, better known as the infamous serial killer Fred West who died in January 1995. In this article, legal researcher Rosie Kelly, fresh from success in her CILEx criminal law examinations, looks at the rules of inheritance when a murder has been committed and how these have evolved in recent years.
Read moreHow can something as big as a house be missed from someone’s estate?
Posted in Case Histories, For Relatives, For Solicitors
According to the most recent government statistics, there are currently over 200,000 long-term empty homes in England alone. Given that ‘long term’ is defined as over six months, it’s likely that many of these buildings are empty for quite mundane reasons, perhaps because they are awaiting new tenants or a sale. However, a small number of long-term empty homes fall derelict simply because their owner has died and – whether or not they made a will – for some reason the property has not been included in their estate. In this article, Chris Ferry discusses a case that shows how easily this can happen and the problems that arise when it does.
Read moreA genealogist of distinction
Posted in For Family Historians, For Relatives
A probate researcher by profession, and a passionate family and local historian in her free time, case manager Terry Bridger was already at the forefront of her chosen field. But – never one to rest on her laurels – three years ago she enrolled for a masters degree in genealogical, palaeographic and heraldic studies at the University of Strathclyde. In this article she explains why she gladly embraced such a huge commitment.
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