East Sussex residents could be owed millions in unclaimed estates, according to study

A new study has revealed that East Sussex is the area with the third most unclaimed estates in the UK per 100,000 people.

The study, conducted by Investing Reviews, also looked at what surnames have the most unclaimed estates in the country.

According to Investing Reviews, there are 190 unclaimed estates in the county.

This means there are 22.49 unclaimed estates per 100,000 people in East Sussex.

An Investing Reviews spokesperson said, “Smith – 129 unclaimed estates – was found to be the name sitting on the most unclaimed fortune, followed by Jones – 86 unclaimed estates – and Taylor – 54 unclaimed estates.

“Deaths in 1995 saw the highest number of unclaimed estates with 292, followed by 1999 (285) and 1993 (283).

“Greater London is the county with by far the largest number of unclaimed estates at 2,355, but when compared to population size it comes in second place.”

Surrey was found to be the area with the highest number of unclaimed estates per 100,000 people with 30.42.

More than £77 million worth of inheritance could be unclaimed in UK estates, according to Investing Reviews.

The spokesperson added, “Figures obtained from the UK government’s treasury solicitor shows 7,090 estates remain unclaimed, and according to data from the Office for National Statistics, the median amount of inheritance received by individuals is £11,000.”