escheating
/ɪsˈtʃitɪŋ/
noun
- The process by which property or money is transferred to the state when a person dies without a will and without legal heirs.
- Escheating laws vary by state, but they generally apply when no heirs can be found.
- The lawyer explained that escheating would occur if the deceased had no living family members.
- The state took ownership of the abandoned house through escheating after the owner died with no relatives.