ESCHEAT
This is a word not commonly used in everyday conversation – ‘Excuse me, could you pass the escheat?’ or hat a lovely escheat, where did you get it? It is actually an old common-law doctrine that is very useful to be aware of during a zombie apocalypse.
Along with its partner in doctrine, bona vacantia, the basis of these laws is that if a person dies with no will and no heirs then everything they own goes to the crown, the state or immediately superior feudal landlord depending on where you reside.
Land or property ownership may not be exactly high on your agenda when there are crowds of corpses on your tail, but you must never live day to day. You must always plan for the future when mankind inevitably wins the war against the dead.
The important fact to note about this law is that the property of the deceased is claimed by the crown or the government. When the apocalypse begins one of two things will have happened to these two institutions. They will:
- Have been ushered into steel-walled underground bunkers by men in dark suits and sunglasses shouting ‘Down! Down!’ and ‘The eagle is in the nest!’ where they will have innumerable supplies to see out these dark days, or
- Be dead.
In either scenario they’ll be out of the way leaving you to declare yourself the new superior feudal lord of any particular area of the country. This then gives you the right to claim all the property of everyone who has died with no living heirs (of which I would imagine there would be a fair few). Of course, there will be those people who will merely think you have gone insane and disregard this law and your claims. They will argue that as there is no government to uphold the law that the law is null and void. If this is the case then feel free to declare yourself Prime Minister or even Queen which gives you the right to make up whatever laws you want and uphold them as best you can.
There are, of course, easier ways of obtaining property in a lawless society which usually involves a large angry posse and a stash of weapons. But even if you do decide to go down that path, at least you know now that the law is on your side.