If you happen to have the right surname, you could be in line to claim any one of the 435 empty Scottish estates worth up to £370,000.
The Government has just published a list of estates across Scotland which have been left unclaimed after their owners died either without making a will or without identifying a next of kin .
When a person dies in Scotland without leaving a will detailing their desired benefactors, any unclaimed assets automatically fall under the care of the Crown , and are then placed in the care of The Office of Queen’s and Lord Treasurer’s Remembrancer.
In March 2016, the Succession Act passed by the Scottish Parliament made the process of claiming unwanted estates easier, removing the requirement to obtain a 'bond of caution' - a type of insurance provided only by a small number of firms in the UK.
Cash, land, assets and homes - some as large as mansions and castles - could be up for grabs, providing claimants are able to successfully prove they are entitled to them.
When a person dies with no will, everything they owned can theoretically be claimed.
And it could start by simply noticing you have the same surname as the previous owner of an estate.
Some of the more unusual surnames on the list include Carlin, Hunniball, Malone-Philban and Raube.
The estates will eventually revert to the Crown if no next of kin are identified.
If you think you are entitled to claim an estate, applications can be submitted here .
You can download the list for the rest of Scotland here .
There are thought to currently be more than 8,000 unclaimed estates in England and Wales.
This summer, London pensioner Margaret Abbotts inherited more than £300,000 from a half sister she never knew she had, after she was contacted by a law firm specialising in forensic genealogy.
Advice on unclaimed estates in England and Wales is available here .
