Buying property from a listed owner deceased

[mdalton444]

Hi,

I am interested in purchasing a vacant property and land that has been vacant for many years without a roof, however I believe the owner is now deceased and has been since 2012.

The title register still lists the deceased person as the owner of the property even though I believe he passed away in 2012.

After doing some research I have also found out that the deceased owner of the property was sent to jail for a number of years in 2002 and I am unsure if he passed away in jail or was released and then passed away.

If it is possible, how would I go about purchasing this if the listed owner on the Land Registry is now deceased?

Any replies are much appreciated!
Many thanks,

Mike

 

[diyhelp]

I think that when a person dies intestate (no will) the estate goes to the state if not claimed by any relatives. I am not sure about the timescale on this but this is a path you might want to go down?

 

[mdalton444]

Thanks for your reply.
Yes i have heard that the state may get the property if there is no will or it may also be possible for the property to go to a relative or siblings as you mention, but do you have any idea on where to find any further details of ownership so i can persue this as i seem to have come to a dead end so far as the land registey still lists the deceased as the owner.

How can i find out if another relative has claimed the property or if it is now owned by the state?

Thanks in advance for your time!

Mike

 

[Longterminvestor]

Quite a few interesting articles here:-

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=buying+a+house+from+a+deceased+estate&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiSq8_xmszZAhUP-qQKHRshBCcQ1QIIsAEoAg&biw=1920&bih=943

 

[mdalton444]

Thanks for your reply but I am not wanting to buy a property from a deceased estate.
The Land Registry shows a deceased persons details as the property owner but of course I cannot contact this person.

Do you have any idea on where to find any further details of ownership or if the property has been passed to the state or a relative so i can persue this?

Is there any way for me to find out if another relative has claimed the property or if it is now owned by the state?
Many thanks!!

 

[FWL]

This migh help:-

https://www.gov.uk/wills-probate-inheritance/searching-for-probate-records

May show who is inheriting the property.

 

[mdalton444]

That is an excellent link and a really useful too thanks alot for that post FWL.

Strangely enough the site does not list the person at all. From my research, THOMAS MULVEY from Liverpool died in March 2011 but that link does not seem to mention that!

I seem to have hit that damn brick wall again!
Any help or guidance is much appreciated guys.

Thank you all......

 

[diyhelp]

I wonder, if the estate has not been claimed by anyone, is there a period before it is made public? Just thinking out loud really.

 

[Longterminvestor]

If you are still serious about buying the property then I think it is time to employ the services of a solicitor - they will have contacts who can find the current owner and open negotiations on your behalf. The longer you leave it the more chance someone else will step in and the value could go up.

 

[mdalton444]

Many thanks for your help guys I have now instructed a solicitor to help me so will keep you in the loop with progress.
I believe the first step for him is to contact probate etc.
He also said to me I could take a chance and claim the property, then after 10 years (and lots of risk) it could be mine legally.

Thanks all!

 

[realdeals]

Contacting the executors first makes sense - big risk claiming the property now, investing money doing it up and then losing it further down the line.

 

[mdalton444]

Hi All.....just wanted to keep you updated on my progress with the above.

As I mentioned, I have employed the services of a solicitor to help me find out further information.
The solicitor wrote to me and said they have carried out a search at HM Courts and they wrote back saying that they cannot find any record of a grant being issued in that estate.

My solicitor said the only other possible way to find further details would be for me to employ a tracing agent, but he mentioned they can be extremely expensive, and they may not find anything further either.

He mentioned to me that if I do go down the route of trying to 'claim' the property that this may sometimes bring the actual owner out of the woodwork...

Any thought of ideas on how I can take it to the next step?

Many thanks in advance!

 

[FWL]

Interesting article:-

https://www.co-oplegalservices.co.uk/media-centre/articles-jan-apr-2018/locating-a-deceased-persons-hidden-assets-during-probate/