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Unclaimed estates list bereavement contacts

Bona Vacantia, Government Legal Department

bvestates@governmentlegal.gov.uk

Tell them online

Email Unclaimed estates list Open their online form

Do these three first

They are free, and between them they reach most of the government, most banks, and the junk mail lists. None of them takes email, so use each button.

Tell Us Once

A free GOV.UK service. It tells most government departments at once, including HMRC, DWP, DVLA, the Passport Office and the council. Use the reference number the registrar gives you.

Start Tell Us Once Done

Death Notification Service

A free service set up by UK banks and building societies. It tells many of them at once.

Use the free form Done

The Bereavement Register

Free. Stops junk mail and marketing post in their name.

Write the letter for me

Fill in what you know. We use it to write one letter, and every Email button on these pages opens it ready to send from your own email. Leave anything blank and the letter keeps a gap for you to fill in.

What you type stays on this device. It is not sent to us, and it is cleared when you close this tab.

Their full name Their date of birth The date they passed away Their last address, with postcode Account, policy or customer number, if you have one Your name How you knew them, for example daughter or executor A phone number they can call you on

The letter

Before you get in touch

When someone passes away with no will and no known family, their estate can pass to the Crown. The government lists these estates. If you think you're a relative, email a family tree showing how you're related. They'll then ask for birth and marriage certificates and ID. This covers England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own offices.

Checked on 27 September 2026 against Unclaimed estates list's own page. Numbers do change now and then, so if one doesn't work, their page is the best place to look.

Other finding lost accounts and money

Most of the time this takes goes on working out what the person had and who to call. When you are ready, Inherit Vault is where you can write that down for your own family, kept private until it is needed.

If a number doesn't work, please let us know and we'll put it right the same day.