Don’t miss out on the chance to claim estate

RESIDENTS across Wales could be entitled to a fortune from an unclaimed estate in the country.

Government records, updated on December 24, have revealed that there are several unclaimed estates in Carmarthenshire.

When someone dies without leaving a will, their assets are left unclaimed. The government monitors these estates in the hope that the lawful heirs will claim them. However, if no claim is made the money could make its way into the government’s accounts.

You are able to identify if you are eligible to inherit an estate by checking if you share a last name with the deceased.

If an individual dies without leaving a will, the following people are able to claim the estate:

■ Husband, wife or civil partner

■ Children, grandchildren, greatgrandchildren etc.

■ Mother or father

■ Brothers or sisters who share both the same parents, or their children (nieces and nephews)

■ Half sisters or brothers or their children

■ Uncles and aunts or their children (first cousins or their descendants)

Relatives have 12 years to apply to claim an estate in the case of money, or 30 years otherwise, from the day of death.

If you are eligible to inherit an unclaimed estate, you must provide a family tree that shows how you are related to the individual and whose estate you wish to claim. To make a claim, visit https://www.gov.uk/guidance/ make-a-claim-to-a-deceasedpersons-estate

The surnames with unclaimed estates in Carmarthenshire are:

■ Ash

■ Davies

■ Evans

■ Gibson

■ John

■ Llewellyn

■ Moffat

■ O’Rouke

■ Owen

■ Stephenson

■ Sturgess

■ Walters

■ Wojtkiewicz