The Treasury has released details of hundreds of unclaimed estates across the UK, with 72 located across West Sussex.
Unclaimed estates typically occur when someone dies without a will or next of kin, leaving any assets in limbo.
The list covers deaths in places including Chichester, Worthing, Bognor Regis and Haywards Heath.
Worthing comes top, with 15 unclaimed estates, followed by Chichester with eight.
Relatives usually have 12 years to claim an estate and still get interest on their inheritance.
However, you can still claim for up to 30 years after a death, but will lose any interest accumulated.
If no one ever claims an estate, it is declared as “bona vacantia”, meaning “ownerless goods”.
The money then ends up with the Treasury, which can use it to fund public services.
Some cases go back to the 1990s, however the most recent death in the county to have made the list was in 2021.
The full list of unclaimed West Sussex estates is as follows:
There is a set order for claims, starting with a spouse and the deceased’s children.
After that come parents and siblings, then wider family such as cousins.
Charities are also able to claim a portion of an estate, if they can demonstrate a connection to the deceased or if the person had a known intention to donate to a certain cause.
The Treasury publicly advertises estates with a net value of £500 or above.
The public list of names was previously taken offline in July last year after a BBC investigation found criminals were using it to create fake wills and inherit money and property.
It was recently reinstated with restricted information provided.
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