To think Heir Hunters (BBC1 now) is a bit ambulance chasery?

[Sparklingbrook]

It's nothing to do wioth finding 'rightful heirs, and everything to do with commission for Fraser and Fraser.

I get where you are coming from but the government will only get to keep it if it is unclaimed. Although saying that if you never really knew the deceased and did not keep in touch with them do the relatives deserve it? Some of the stories on there are fascinating and sad at times too.

I think it depends what the government do with the money.

I LOVE this programme! I know what you mean though but there is a lot of work involved in doing all the tracing and I am so envious of all the resources that F&F have at their disposal. I look upon it as a bit like a daytime "Who do you Think You Are" with a bit of "Cash in the Attic" thrown in.

I can't believe they don't give you ANY clues as to who your relative might be if you don't immediately sign upon the dotted line with them? Are you really going to let someone over your front doorstep if they are simply saying "we have some money that might rightfully be yours"?! I always imagined that I would say, no thanks I'll just approach the treasury myself but if they DON'T give you any names and you haven't got a clue then I guess you have to sign up with them. Giving them 5/10% of an unexpected windfall would be better than nothing though.

I certainly don't feel appalled enough to tell them to forget about it! I would be interested in finding out who the benefactor was and perhaps contacting the other relatives especially if they were unknown to me - but then again you could be opening up a right can of worms!

The staff in the office do look very stressed and it all looks a little bit sweaty in there with all those cheap suits and nylon shirts. I think the guys out on the road look really sad - all those Little Chef meals and burgers in the car. Not many women involved at all. There was one woman working on a case the other week - the first one I'd ever seen on the programme and they gave her the most ENORMOUSLY complicated case ever. Hundreds of cousins and second cousins, the tree was about 30 foot wide - I thought they were deliberately setting her up to fail but she worked her way through it all to a successful conclusion.

Of course, I don't watch it THAT often as am far too busy...

I have no innate objection to F&F making their living this way. My objections lie with the way the programme makers spin it into mawkish, sentimental shite and play up the 'competition' factor as if anybody really cares

I don't tend to watch it these days. Am waiting for 'Wanted Down Under' to return

Wanted Down Under was bonkers. We had a great thread going when it was on. It consisted of the most faces ever on a thread I think.

Also...is it just me or are some of the men at F+F incredibly creepy?

They just look like not the sort of people I might like at my doorstep telling me I need to tell them when auntie Edna died

We actually got chased up by one of these companies.

We didn't know this relative existed (all very sad she had been kept a secret before the war due to a disability and her mother dying) and had been in nursing/ care homes. We were shocked!!!

So the money came to a lot of family members (no body knew about her, she was my Grandad's sister who we all thought had died! Him included. The sad thing was it was my grandad who tracked down all the other family after their mother died and kept them all together. He often mentioned his sister who died, he would have done anything to meet her)

It was all too late but it got us into family history and we all had a lot of chats about it.

Although actually maybe the government should have got the money, on account of the shocking way the family kept her hidden and the money for her care (she actually lived the longest out of her generation) came from te government

I was watching this on a recent holiday in Cornwall (freezing & fuck all else to do) I completely agree it's just so.....well distasteful. The money grabbing, grave jumping hawks! Finding out about people's pasts is interesting but I can't abide the vulture like nature of more than one of these companies swooping down on their prey and getting the relatives to sign contracts. Even worse the beeb broadcast it

Most relatives it seems didn't even know though so it's not like thy are approaching grieving widows.

Oh sparkling are you suffering from Wanted Down Under withdrawal too? Heir Hunters and Don't Get Done, Get Dom just don't compare

No not really Fatima, Dom and his 'conshoomers' wind me up.

My grandmothers cousin was featured on Heirhunters a few months ago. She died in 2007 leaving about £12,000 and had they found her estate at the time of her death my grandmother would have been the sole inheritor but the estate wasn't discovered until 2011 by which time my grandmother had died.

The search then broadened and many heirs were found, second cousins, nieces and nephews etc. My dad and aunt were included and after Celtic Research had taken their 25% and the rest of the money had been divvied up they ended up with £240 each.

The only good thing that really came out of it was a copy of the family tree which has enabled me to fill in some blanks in my own research.

I find this programme really interesting. But if someone came to the door or phoned and asked me questions about my family, I wouldn't tell them! It just sounds like a scam. Also I'm amazed by how often they turn up at people's houses on a weekday in the daytime and find them there.You'd think it would be necessary to do it all in writing just to manage to get in contact. I wonder if it would be good if the government had a department to do the job (instead of companies fighting to be first), with the costs coming out of the estate. There's already a department that looks at settled estates to see if any benefits were overpaid and can demand it back from beneficiaries (which happened to me).

I've got an elderly relative, second cousin once removed, who has savings and hasn't made a Will. Her estate will probably end up on one of those lists. I've hinted to her that she ought to make a Will but it's awkward because she doesn't like charities and has no one to leave it to really. I'd hate her to think I'm after her money but I wish she'd put her affairs in order. Anyone reading this, if you haven't made a Will, please make one! Especially if you're over 90.

Well if you are aware of her when she does surely you can claim and not wait years for her to be on the list?

DH has been at home the last couple of weeks and has insisted on watching all these programs. He's currety watching that Burglar one where Rav comes and installs a burgler alarm for you

I think the heir hunters program is a bit like CSI, they do things that take 5 minutes to find someone when in reality it would take 5 months

I suppose it's really trying to think what the deceased person would have wanted to happen to their money. Most people I know don't want all their worldly goods to go to the government on their death but sadly 60% of us never get around to making a will so that choice is taken away from us.

For all of you who have said that if it were they who were the beneficiary then they would rather the money go to charity / care workers etc, well this is perfectly possible under the current law. You can choose to disclaim your inheritance ( in which case it goes back into the pot to be redistributed) or you can execute a Deed of Variation within 2 years of death and redirect the funds to a more "deserving" beneficiary such as a charity or careworker who looked after the deceased. But this can only be done by the legal heir and not arbitrarily by the heir hunting company.

FTR I am a probate lawyer and have used F&F ( amongst others) for tracing heirs to intestate estates and I have always found them to be professional and fair, although of course these cases are not bona vacantia and the fees are agreed up front rather than based on a commission percentage.

I don't think that heir hunting in itself as a profession is dishonourable, but the BBC coverage of some of the cases can be questionable. I just hope it encourages more people to make wills to save their own family from distress.

NotYoMomma, I wouldn't be entitled to her estate if she dies without a Will. Only first cousins or closer relatives can claim.

Intestacy Flowchart

Here's how it works in England and Wales.

Jan49 you would be unlikely to benefit from your second cousin's estate. But as you know her you would be able to instruct a solicitor to deal with the estate on her death who will not charge anything like an heir hunting company.

X-post Jan49 :)

Agree with you entirely, Sparklingbrook. Bring back Wanted Down Under. I haven't pulled a for ages. It looks like the 9:15 slot is filled with Fake Britain from next week. Thank goodness I'm working day shifts for a while!

Thanks anyway Poshfrock.

in England and wales to claim a share of an estate you must be a direct descendant of deceased grandparents

(in scotland it is deceased great grandparents)

Perhaps it should be made law to make a will? What do you think?

I dont think its pretend concern its men doing emotion on the whole they are crap at it