There may be various reasons why we have contacted you. It could be that we are checking to see if we have found the correct family or that we are trying to locate certain members of your family and we think you may be able to help us. Or it could be that we believe that there is a possibility that you may be an heir to an estate we are working on. We work on various cases, ones which we have been contracted to work on for Solicitors who need to find relatives either named in Wills or in intestate cases where other family members need to be found. We also work on Bona Vacantia lists (ownerless property, that passes to the Crown), and other such like.
We understand our calls or letters may come as a surprise and sometimes sound as the information we give you is too good to be true. If you are uneasy about this then: i. Seek legal advise at your own cost to put your mind at rest. ii. Ask us to provide a reference from a legal entitiy. iii. Ask your local Police or official bodies to contact us to verify that we are a bona fide business.
7. I am not related to the deceased, but knew him/her very well and I helped them with various things at my own expense, would I be entitled to anything?
9. I have been approached by a couple of firms wanting me to sign an agreement with them, which one should I choose?
Always remember that the percentage you sign for is not the only expenses that will come from the estate, and the percentage figure is not always the important factor. Probate fees can be higher in some areas than in others. Firms that do the Probate themselves may not be regulated and can charge you what they like to make up for their low percentage.
11. Does your firm obtain the Grant of Probate?
12. Can you provide me with the address and phone numbers of my relatives?
We are entered on the register of the Data Protection Act 1998, and therefore cannot give out any details of people we have located even if they are relatives. However, what has worked well in the past is that you give us permission in writing to pass your details to other relatives who may be interested in having contact.
13. How long does it take before we know the value of the estate and we are paid our share?
The Treasury no longer gets involved in administering all estates. Once a claim has been accepted which is usually within an 8 week period, they will send any information they hold to the people or organization that will be administering the estate. The Administrators will then have to search for all assets, apply for a Grant of Probate if required, then gather in all funds, assets, sell off any property then pay off any debts. After this they will finally have a distribution figure. This process can exceed a minimum period of 9 months as it will depend on the complexity of the estate. Therefore to ask how long this process takes would be like asking ‘how long a piece of string is’, especially in the early stages, when nothing is known. After about 3-4 months, it may be possible to gauge an approximate value of the estate. In the time limit we would also include any research that is needed in contacting any remainder possible beneficiaries that may not have answered previous letters or couldn’t be found initially. This has to be done before distribution also as distribution is being made under Intestate rules and regulations.
Company
Based in Hull, DSResearchers operate internationally as well as in the UK and have done so for over 15 years. Not only solving mysteries in family history, such as origins of ancestors, but of tracking down wills and finding missing people.
We are happy to accept work and provide services to Solicitors and the public.
DS Researchers find missing heirs and helps to distribute the assets of a deceased individual to their rightful next-of-kin.
Last June my sister and I received letter from DSResearchers advising we may be entitled to some money from a deceased relatives Estate. Having watched Heir Hunters I convinced my sister that it was genuine and we gave our consent for them to act on our behalf. Over a year later we received our entitlement, which completely shocked us as to the value of our inheritance. Since then my sister has been in contact with DSResearchers who have been extremely helpful in providing the family tree and other information, I would highly recommend them Jill
