- published: 08 Dec 2013
- views: 1788
Bona vacantia (Latin for "ownerless goods") is a legal concept associated with property that has no owner. It exists in various jurisdictions, with consequently varying application, but with origins mostly in English law.
Bona vacantia is applied according to the laws of the relevant province, and the roots of the laws may be traced to Roman law.
Similarly to England, unclaimed money will mostly revert to the Crown who may then make further distribution. Unclaimed property other than money might also be claimed on behalf of the Crown but (as with the UK jurisdictions) this is not inevitable.
Bona vacantia is partly a common law doctrine and partly found in statute. It deals with: