What do we do?
Genealogists and people-tracers to the legal and property sectors and local authorities, in the UK and abroad
Quite simply, we find people – locally, nationally and internationally. But why?
The most common reason why an individual needs to be found is because they owe money and appear to have moved away from their previous address. These can be:
- tenants owing arrears on former rental properties;
- directors of insolvent companies;
- customers or clients with outstanding bills or invoices;
- people fleeing debt for another reason.
Alternatively, people may need to be traced because money is owed to them. These can be:
- freeholders whose leaseholders wish to purchase the freehold;
- missing beneficiaries of estates, both testate and intestate;
- heirs to unclaimed assets;
- people who have had their homes repossessed or compulsorily purchased.
Or, people may need to be traced because they simply need to sign paperwork. This is most commonly found in the conveyancing sector.
You might need to locate living people (or establish that someone is deceased) in a variety of situations, examples of which may include:
- Missing shareholders, investors and policy holders.
- Former clients (for example to distribute monies in a client deposit account).
- Missing property owners (such as of empty properties).
In most cases, we can find these people for you. In the event that we can’t, we can usually find a close family member who can provide contact details or further relevant information about the individual being sought.
We also find documentation relating to people, such as:
- Certificates of birth, adoption, marriage, civil partnership or death.
- Copies of Grants of Probate, Letters of Administration and wills.
- Military service records (WWI and WWII).
- Evidence of (historic) immigration and naturalisation.
Sometimes, important paperwork such as a will or financial records is hiding in a deceased person’s property, in which case you can use us for:
- Document searches on location.
Having experience dealing with estates which include property, we also have useful and reliable contacts in:
- Property clearance.
- Property maintenance, repairs and redecoration.
- Property sales and lettings.
And our background is in genealogy, so we offer:
- Family tree checking (important for estate administrators and useful to amateur genealogists).
International Reach
We have associates in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Israel, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Ukraine, the USA and more. This impressive network means that we can find people and documentation outside the UK, too.
Fees
Different types of work lend themselves to different methods of charging. We will assess your needs and give you an estimate based on one of:
- An hourly rate (usually charged in increments of 15 minutes).
- A fixed fee.
- A contingency fee (“no win, no fee” – usually free of charge to the referring party).
All estimates are free of charge and highly competitive!
We’re happy to give you a quick (10-minute) presentation – in person or on Zoom – to show what we can offer you. Call us on 0151-601 7000 or email info@originprobate.com to put a date in the diary!
