Complex Estate Services
A range of tailored services to help navigate even the most complex estate matters with confidence.
Will Searches
Helping you find a Will and protect the deceased’s wishes.
When someone dies, establishing whether a valid Will exists is an essential first step in administering their estate. However, locating a Will is not always straightforward, particularly when family members are unaware of its existence or important paperwork is missing.
At Secure Wills, our Will Search service helps executors, families and professionals locate a missing Will, reducing the risk of an estate being distributed incorrectly or intended beneficiaries being overlooked.
We search a range of professional Will registers and repositories, including those maintained by solicitors, Will writers, industry organisations and online databases. Searches can be conducted locally or nationwide, taking account of current, previous and last known addresses, together with other relevant locations.
A thorough search today can help prevent unnecessary complications tomorrow.
Document Retrieval
Helping you obtain the important documents needed to move matters forward.
Missing or unavailable paperwork can create unnecessary delays, whether you are dealing with estate administration, probate or an application to the Court of Protection. Secure Wills can assist by locating and obtaining essential documents, helping to make the process as straightforward and efficient as possible.
Our document retrieval service can help obtain a wide range of records, including:
Birth, marriage and death certificates
Adoption certificates
Decree Absolute documents
Grants of Probate and Letters of Administration
Historical naturalisation records and certificates
UK archival and historical records
We can also assist with obtaining documents from overseas, subject to the availability of records and the access requirements of the relevant country.
Before proceeding, we will discuss your requirements, confirm what is realistically obtainable and explain any relevant limitations.
Whether you need a single certificate or a collection of historical records, we can help take the paperwork off your hands and keep things moving.
Missing Beneficiaries
Helping you find missing beneficiaries and establish who is entitled to an inheritance.
Identifying and contacting everyone entitled to benefit from an estate is not always as simple as it first appears. Family estrangements, changes of address or relatives moving overseas can make it difficult to trace beneficiaries, potentially delaying estate administration and the distribution of funds.
Secure Wills can assist executors, administrators and professionals in locating missing or unknown beneficiaries, both throughout the UK and internationally.
Our beneficiary tracing service can help identify and locate:
Missing or unidentified beneficiaries under intestacy
Next of kin in connection with Statutory Wills
Beneficiaries named in Wills, including legatees
Trustees and administrators
Missing shareholders
Property freeholders
We understand that tracing someone often starts with very limited information. Whether you have a full name, an old address, a date of birth or simply a reference in a Will, we can help investigate and establish the next steps.
If you are struggling to locate someone entitled to an inheritance, Secure Wills can help you move forward. Contact us to discuss your requirements and arrange a free initial consultation.
Intestacy Research
Establishing family connections and identifying those legally entitled to an estate.
When someone dies without leaving a valid Will, the Intestacy Rules determine who is entitled to inherit their estate. Establishing the correct beneficiaries can sometimes be complex, particularly where family details are incomplete, relatives are unknown or the deceased was born overseas.
Before an estate is referred to the Government Legal Department under the Bona Vacantia process, it is important to establish whether any surviving relatives may be entitled to inherit. In many cases, family connections exist that have simply not yet been identified.
Secure Wills can undertake comprehensive genealogical investigations, both in the UK and internationally, to establish the deceased’s surviving next of kin and identify those entitled to a share of the estate. Throughout the investigation, we provide regular progress updates. On completion, you will receive:
A detailed genealogical research report
Relevant family tree documentation
Supporting evidence and records
Where appropriate, we can also liaise with trusted insurance specialists to explore suitable insurance solutions designed to provide additional protection for the estate.
Our research helps provide clarity, establish rightful beneficiaries and reduce the risk of an estate being incorrectly treated as Bona Vacantia.
Family Tree Verification
Independent research to confirm family connections and ensure no entitled beneficiaries are overlooked.
During estate administration, a family tree may have already been provided by the client or another party. However, even a seemingly complete family tree may contain inaccuracies, omissions or gaps that could affect the identification of those entitled to inherit.
Secure Wills offers an independent family tree review service, combining professional assessment with our own genealogical research to verify the information provided, investigate discrepancies and identify any missing family connections.
Our aim is to provide confidence that the family tree is accurate, complete and supported by appropriate evidence. On completion, you will receive:
A comprehensive genealogical report
Copies of the verified family tree or trees
Supporting documentation and relevant evidence
Where appropriate, we can also assist in arranging specialist insurance solutions to provide additional protection for the estate.
An independent review can help establish greater certainty, reduce the risk of overlooked beneficiaries and support a more confident approach to estate administration.
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