Beneficiaries

Have we contacted you?

If someone from Thames Probate has been in touch with you it is likely to be because we think you are related to someone who has died without leaving a known valid will or next-of-kin. When we investigate these situations, we try to locate the closest living blood relatives of the person who has died so that they can benefit from any inheritance that may be due to them. If we have contacted you then it may be that either you or someone related to you is entitled to a share of an estate.

When we initially contact you, we need to establish that you are actually the person we are looking for. This means we will need to ask you some questions and check information about your family with you. At no point will we ask you to pay us any money, all fees are paid from the estate. We are a family run firm and pride ourselves on being straightforward and approachable. If at anytime you have any queries or concerns please do get in contact with us.

Below is a graphic which shows how the research in to the next of kin process works.

Who has passed away?

There will be a limit to what we can tell you when we first get in touch. We may not be able to tell you everything that you want to know. We will not always be able to give out details of who has died or how you are related to them until we have confirmed that you are an heir and have got you and any other beneficiaries to sign our contract. At this stage we will not know the size of the estate involved or what share of it you may be entitled to. Only once the estate has been administered will you get final confirmation of this, but we will give you what information we can as and when we are able to.

No money asked for in advance

The contract that we will ask you to sign is an agreement that we will be paid commission in exchange for the work we either have done or will do in establishing your entitlement to a share of an estate. Any commission due to us will be paid from the estate and not by you. Our commission will be a percentage of the money that is due to you from the estate. This means that if you are found not to be entitled to a share, then there will be nothing due to us either. If your share of an estate is only small then you can be assured that our commission will still be less than the money you will get.

If and when we establish that you are one of the heirs to an estate we are investigating, we will tell you more about the procedures that will be followed to finalise the administration of the estate. It will normally take a minimum of several months for beneficiaries to be paid their share of an estate from our first contact with them. In more complex matters, where there is a large estate or lots of heirs, it could even take years. We will keep you updated as to progress until the matter is concluded.

Contacted by us?

If you have been contacted by Thames Probate or wish to verify this contact please do not hesitate to contact us.

T: 0118 9117199
E: info@thamesprobate.co.uk

“Thank you so much for the research that you did which enabled me to inherit this money. It must must have taken a lot of hard work!”
– 
Alison Hobbs, Beneficiary