An Empty Homes Officer (EHO) had reached a dead end tracing the owner of a property. The home had become empty because the previous owner had passed away, and their next of kin had denied responsibility for the property, despite being the listed responsible party for council tax. The practitioner had contacted the lender but could not get any further information and contacted the advice service for further guidance. The Empty Homes Adviser worked collaboratively with the Policy Officer to provide specialist advice on probate and repossession.  This helped the EHO identify the next steps to take to unlock the property.