REF-STORY
How Estatica Came About
Estatica grew out of a straightforward observation: when a family member dies or becomes unable to manage their own affairs, the people left to deal with the paperwork often have no idea what exists, where it is kept, or whether it is complete. The folders in the study, the boxes in the storeroom, the drives that nobody labelled — they accumulate quietly over decades and become bewildering at exactly the moment when clarity is most needed.
We started with a single service: going to a household, opening every box the family pointed at, and producing a written record of what we found. Nothing more than that. No interpretation, no filing, no advice on what to do next. Just an accurate list. Families told us that having the list changed how they approached the rest of the process — they could hand it to their solicitor, their administrator, or their children and say: here is what exists.
Over time, families asked whether we could do more — catalogue the objects, build an index that could be searched, produce something a sibling in another state could follow without being walked through it. So we extended the work, carefully, keeping the boundary between records organisation and regulated professional services in the same place throughout.
We work only in Kuching and the surrounding area, and we keep the number of active engagements small. The work takes time and attention; it does not suit a volume model. If you write to us and we cannot take on your engagement soon, we will say so plainly and, if we can, suggest who else might help.
REF-TEAM
The People Who Do the Work
Lim Teck Wei
Lead Coordinator
Lim has spent eleven years helping families in Sarawak organise paper records accumulated across multiple generations. He leads on-site visits and writes the inventory reports.
Suraya bt Hamdan
Objects Cataloguer
Suraya handles photographic documentation and plain-language description of household objects and heirlooms, drawing on her background in visual documentation and archival photography.
Jacqueline Chia
Digital Indexing & Records
Jacqueline builds the digital indices and coordinates the scanning and file delivery for the Vault Programme, ensuring all files are accessible to the family on their own storage without external dependencies.
REF-STD
How We Work
Written Scope Before We Begin
Every engagement starts with a written description of what we will do, what we will not do, and what the output will look like. No work begins until the family has read and confirmed this.
No Retention of Family Documents
All scanned files and catalogue data are delivered to storage the family owns. We do not keep copies after the engagement closes. Physical documents remain in the household throughout.
Photography to a Consistent Standard
Objects are photographed on a neutral surface under consistent lighting, with scale reference included. The same format is used across all sessions in a programme so the catalogue reads consistently.
Confidentiality Throughout
What we see in a household stays with us and the family. We do not discuss the contents of engagements with third parties, and we do not use household details for any purpose other than delivering the agreed output.
Storage Guidance from Published Sources
Storage condition notes draw on published conservation guidance from recognised archival bodies. We present this as general information; specialist conservation advice should come from a trained conservator.
Clear Referral to Qualified Professionals
When a family's enquiry falls outside what we do — legal interpretation, valuation, filing — we say so plainly and, where we can, suggest the appropriate type of professional to consult.
Estate administration in Malaysia involves a number of steps that fall to qualified professionals — solicitors, administrators appointed by the courts, valuers and financial advisors. Before those steps can proceed efficiently, someone needs to know what the estate contains. That is the work Estatica does.
Families in Kuching and across Sarawak often find that papers relating to land, vehicles, insurance policies, bank accounts and personal belongings are distributed across several locations, stored in different formats, and without any index that connects them. Objects — furniture, jewellery, photographs, documents with historical significance to the household — may have no written record of their origin or how they came to be in the family's possession.
A well-organised inventory reduces the time a solicitor spends locating documents, reduces the risk of assets being overlooked, and gives family members who are not directly involved in administration a clear picture of what exists. It also produces something lasting: a record the family can consult again in the future, whether for insurance, for the next generation, or simply to know what they have inherited.
Estatica's work is limited to producing these records. We are not regulated practitioners and we do not offer services that require professional licensing. Our role is to prepare the ground so that the people who hold those qualifications can work from a clear foundation.
REF-ENQ
Ready to Bring Order to the Papers?
Write to us with a brief description of your situation. We read every enquiry and respond within two working days.
Send an Enquiry