You’ve Been Contacted About an Inheritance: Understanding Contingency Fees

You may never have heard of the person whose estate is involved, you may be unfamiliar with probate genealogy, and you may understandably have questions about why you’ve been contacted and what you’re being asked to agree to.

One of the questions we are often asked is about fees.

If Finders International has offered you a contingency fee agreement, this guide explains how the arrangement works, when the fee is paid and what it means for you.

What is a contingency fee?

A contingency fee allows the genealogical research needed to establish your potential entitlement to be carried out without you having to pay research costs upfront.

At Finders International, the contingency fee is agreed with you in advance as a percentage of your individual net share of the estate.

The fee is payable when the estate is distributed, meaning we are paid at the same time as you receive your inheritance.

This means you don’t need to find money upfront to fund the research, and the amount Finders receives is linked to the inheritance you ultimately receive.

The percentage and terms of the agreement will be set out before you decide whether to proceed, giving you the opportunity to understand the arrangement and ask any questions you may have.

Why are contingency fees used in probate genealogy?

Establishing who is entitled to inherit from an estate can sometimes require extensive research.

Cases may involve tracing family members across several generations, locating and checking historical records, obtaining certificates and researching relatives who have moved to different parts of the UK or overseas.

In some cases, the person being traced may have had no previous knowledge of the estate or the potential inheritance.

A contingency fee allows this research to take place without asking the beneficiary to fund that work upfront.

What percentage will I pay?

The percentage applicable to your case will be set out in the agreement offered to you.

The fee is calculated against your individual net share of the estate, rather than asking you to pay a separate research bill upfront.

You should take the time to read the agreement before signing it and ask us to explain anything you’re unsure about.

We are paid when you are paid

This is one of the simplest ways to understand a contingency arrangement.

You don’t pay Finders upfront to begin the genealogical research.

Instead, the agreed percentage becomes payable from your individual net share when the estate is distributed. In simple terms, Finders receives its fee when you receive your inheritance.

What are the benefits of a contingency fee?

1. No upfront genealogical research costs

You don’t need to fund the genealogical research at the beginning of the process.

This can be particularly helpful when you’ve only recently discovered the existence of a potential inheritance and don’t yet know how the case will develop.

2. Finders takes on the research risk

Under a contingency arrangement, Finders undertakes the agreed research without requiring you to fund that work upfront.

The research may involve significant time and resources, with our fee dependent on the successful outcome set out in your agreement.

3. The percentage is agreed in advance

The fee arrangement is set out before you agree to proceed.

This means you have the opportunity to understand the percentage you are agreeing to and ask questions before signing, rather than being presented with an unexpected genealogical research bill later.

4. Specialist research can be undertaken on your behalf

Probate genealogy can involve far more than searching for a name online.

Depending on the estate, research can require the reconstruction of family trees, searches across different generations and locations, and documentary evidence to establish how beneficiaries are related to the deceased.

A contingency agreement allows that specialist work to be carried out without you having to fund each stage of the research as it progresses.

Why doesn’t the estate pay the research fee?

How probate genealogy research is funded can vary according to the particular circumstances of an estate and how the research has been commissioned.

If you’ve been offered a contingency agreement by Finders International, the research is carried out without you paying an upfront genealogical research fee. Instead, the agreed percentage is payable from your individual net share when the estate is distributed.

If you’re unsure why a contingency agreement has been offered in your particular case, ask us. We can explain the arrangement before you decide whether you want to proceed.

What should I check before signing?

You shouldn’t feel uncomfortable asking questions about an agreement before signing it.

Some useful questions include:

• What percentage am I agreeing to?
• What will the percentage be calculated against?
• When will the fee become payable?
• What happens if I don’t receive an inheritance?
• Could I be responsible for any other costs?
• What work will Finders undertake?
• What information or documentation will Finders need from me?
• Who can I speak to if I don’t understand something in the agreement?

What’s important is that you understand what you’ve been asked to agree to, what work will be undertaken and when the fee becomes payable.

I’ve been contacted unexpectedly. How do I know it’s genuine?

Being contacted out of the blue about a potential inheritance can naturally make you cautious.

It is sensible to understand why you’ve been contacted, check the organisation independently and ask questions before providing information or agreeing to proceed.

Read our guide on what to do and how to avoid a scam. 

More than tracing a beneficiary

Probate genealogy isn’t simply about locating an individual.

Research may involve reconstructing a family tree and obtaining the evidence required to establish who is entitled to inherit.

It can also sometimes uncover previously unknown branches of a family and give beneficiaries an insight into their wider family history.

Accuracy is particularly important. Research must establish the correct family connections and provide evidence to support the distribution of an estate.

Is a contingency fee right for me?

A contingency agreement is one way probate genealogy research can be funded.

If you’ve been offered this type of agreement, the important thing is to understand how it works and decide whether you’re comfortable with the terms before proceeding.

The key features are straightforward:

• No upfront genealogical research fee
• The percentage is agreed in advance
• The fee is based on your individual net share of the estate
• Finders undertakes the research at its own financial risk
• Finders is paid when you receive your inheritance

If anything isn’t clear, speak to your case manager or a member of the team before signing.

Have you been contacted by Finders International?

If we’ve contacted you about a potential inheritance, it’s completely reasonable to have questions. Read our page on what to do next.

Our team can explain why you’ve been contacted, what research has been undertaken and how the contingency fee you’ve been offered works, so that you understand the arrangement before deciding how you would like to proceed.

Contact Finders International.