Heir tracing
Genealogical research
Genealogy is the study of a family’s history — its lineage or family tree. Researching your genealogy means building a family tree and gathering information about family members from the recent and distant past.
The stages
- Researching the deceased: we find out everything about the deceased: where they lived, any changes of residence, their occupation, place of birth, marriage and death.
- Viability analysis: we check whether the inheritance is worthwhile for the heir, analysing debts, taxes and costs, as we only take on solvent estates.
- Researching and identifying the heirs: we build the family tree in accordance with the law of succession and trace the heirs named in the will or designated by law.
- Locating the heirs: once the potential heirs have been identified, we find where they are to confirm in person that they are the final heirs.
- Handling the inheritance: we take care of the entire succession process on behalf of the heirs.
- Delivering the inheritance: acceptance of the inheritance and distribution of the funds to each of the heirs found.
Beneficiaries of inheritances: have we contacted you?
If we have contacted you because you are the beneficiary of an inheritance, it means that someone you may or may not have known has died and, by law, you are an heir to their estate.
With no outlay, advance payment or financial risk on your part, Arias Advocats takes care of every step and formality needed for the heir to acquire all the assets and rights they are entitled to.
How can I be the beneficiary of an inheritance?
Distant relatives we never knew often die without a will. In these cases, the law sets an order of succession that, in our experience, most people are unaware of.
It may also be that you were named as an heir or legatee in a will without ever knowing it. Bear in mind that in Spain notaries are not responsible for notifying heirs: it is up to the interested party to come forward.
How can I know the inheritance is genuine?
Our firm has a team of lawyers, genealogical researchers and tax advisers who trace the heirs of an estate with no margin for error in identifying them.
Have we contacted you and would you like to know the next steps?
To ask about the inheritance you are an heir to, we invite you to arrange a meeting at our office with our team of succession lawyers, who will explain your rights regarding the inheritance in more detail.
Call our office on +34 93 209 31 31 and we will arrange a free meeting with our lawyers. The firm is located in Barcelona, at C/ Hercegovina, 33 (08006).
What happens if I prefer to do nothing?
If nothing is done with an estate that nobody inherits, it will eventually pass to the State.
Can you find out or confirm whether I am the heir to a property or estate?
Genealogical research requires an investment of time and resources, which the firm bears in order to trace the heirs. For this reason, we only investigate and handle assets whose owner we know for certain has died and whose inheritance is pending acceptance.
If you would like to know whether you are the heir to a specific asset, contact us and we will carry out this search at no cost.
Who we work with
Heirs are not the only ones who benefit from our services: so do the professionals who work with us to solve the problems caused when legitimate heirs cannot be found.
Working with Arias Advocats gives you the help you need to resolve, quickly, effectively and free of charge, the problems arising from the death of an owner.
Property managers
We offer property managers a partnership free of charge. We solve the arrears that owners’ associations suffer because of unpaid service charges and levies owed by owners who have died and whose relatives or legal heirs are unknown. Arias Advocats researches and traces the heirs and forced heirs of the properties, so that the inheritance can be accepted and all the debts owed to the association can be paid off.
Estate agents
We work with estate agencies to find a solution for properties that are empty, or whose owners have not been heard from and are suspected to have died — most of them are part of inheritances that the heirs have forgotten or ignored. Once the heirs are found, the estate agents handle the sale of these properties.
Banks
Arias Advocats works with several banks that need to trace the heirs of unaccepted estates that may have built up significant debt, in order to unblock a stalled bank debt. Once the heirs have been found, the debt is settled, provided there are sufficient assets to cover it.
Notaries
Notaries regularly deal with heirs who, for lack of means or by choice, decide to renounce their inheritance. With our help, alternatives can be found — or the next heirs in line if the renunciation goes ahead — so that the inheritance is eventually accepted with every legal safeguard.
Lawyers and agencies
Our legal team has extensive experience in handling inheritances and civil claims, so we know first-hand the complications that arise when heirs cannot be found or when advising clients on contentious acceptances. We therefore offer support to other law firms, agencies and advisers facing complex matters that require in-depth legal and genealogical research, or cases in which heirs need to be traced.
