How can I claim property that my dad left us? 10 Answers as of September 19, 2011

You should start by contacting the unclaimed property division for the State of Nevada to complete the necessary paperwork.

Hello, Do I understand that he never adopted you? There are no papers to prove he intended to leave his estate to you? Have you searched for a Will? The problem will be whether you are legitimate"heirs" to him if you were never adopted. You should see an attorney and have your heritage proven or determined in some fashion by the state. There is a case holding somewhere that says nobody dies trulywithout heirs. What you need todo is prove you are his heirs and that was his intention. You'll need a lawyer's help. Good luck.

You have to commence a probate proceeding to claim the proceeds as estate property. The Estate would then collect the proceeds and distribute to the heirs of the estate either according to the will if there is one or by the laws of intestate succession if there is no will.

You state that you were raised as your dad's child. Were you his blood? Or were you adopted by him? If you were adopted or his blood relative, then you need to find out if he had a Will. If he had a Will, the life insurance (and I am assuming that, since the state is holding the money, there were no beneficiaries listed in the policies) will go to whomever he left his estate to in his Will. If he had no Will, did he have a spouse at his death? If not, then the assets would be split amongst his descendants (which would be his children or grandchildren).

Each state has a website with very simple instructions to seek unclaimed funds. Go there and follow the instructions and they will take it from there. There is no charge to apply (and do NOT pay anyone to assist).

A life insurance policy has a named beneficiary. It does not matter whether you were related or not as life insurance goes to the named beneficiaries, not the insured's heirs. If it is unclaimed property with the state, it means that the named beneficiary is either deceased, left no heirs or cannot be found. If you are the beneficiary, you can claim it. If not, the beneficiary named in policy has to claim it.

If you are not your dad's actual legal child, you are not entitled to anything unless he had a will stating that you were.

If your other sibling agrees, and if your dad did not have a surviving spouse, several options may exist for obtaining the funds. It really depends on the amount available and what evidence you have that you are the son of the decedent. For reasons I can not fully go into in this short answer, you may need to open a probate estate, or you may be able to go through an abbreviated estate process. You should consult an attorneyso theycan evaluate all the facts involved. This should not be taken as legal advice, and is not intended to establish an attorney/client relationship.

If it is unclaimed property in your name that was turned over to the State Treasurer's Office, you can go on their website and download the forms to make a claim. But it would have to be in your name. If it is not in your name, then you will not be able to get it and it will go to whomever was named on the policy and on the website.