escheat

• Übergang des Vermögens eines Verstorbenen an den Staat, wenn keine gesetzlichen Erben oder kein gültiges Testament vorhanden sind; auch das so anfallende Vermögen selbst.

A noun referring to the reversion of property to the state when the owner dies without legal heirs or a valid will, or the property itself that so reverts.

1. Reversion of property to the stateC2formallegal

   The legal process by which property reverts to the state when the owner dies without a will and without any legal heirs.

   Heimfall an den Staat

   • The estate was subject to escheat after the owner died intestate with no surviving relatives.
   • The government claimed the land through escheat.
   • Escheat laws ensure that unclaimed property eventually returns to the state.

2. Property that reverts to the stateC2formallegal

   The actual property or assets that revert to the state through the process of escheat.

   Heimfallvermögen

   • The escheat included a small house and a bank account.
   • The state auctioned off the escheat to the highest bidder.
   • The value of the escheat was determined by a court-appointed appraiser.