Settling the estate is a marathon of small re-registrations plus one big protection. Practice: close accounts, land register and the deceased contracts via the certificate/will. Protection: if the estate is in debt, you do NOT have to pay from your own pocket — liability is limited to the estate via estate insolvency or the insufficiency defence.
Inheritance: Settling and Protecting Yourself
After acceptance comes the practice: re-registering accounts and property, cancelling the deceased contracts. And know the protection: if debts surface later, liability can be limited to the estate.
✓ Verified: 18/07/2026
WHAT TO DO
AUTHORITY
Nachlassgericht (Amtsgericht)
Federal agencyCertificate of inheritance, opening of the will and disclaiming an inheritance all go through the Nachlassgericht (a division of the Amtsgericht) at the deceased's last place of residence.
Where to go in your city →› Details and tips
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Max recommends:
I built a list of all the deceased contracts and accounts from their mail and statements — so I forgot to close nothing. I re-registered the land register within the first two years: free in that window, chargeable after.
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Lea recommends:
If debts above the assets surface after acceptance — do not panic and pay from your own: declare the insufficiency defence (§ 1990 BGB) or estate insolvency. Your private assets are protected, creditors get only the estate.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Debts surface AFTER acceptance — is everything lost? ▾
Not necessarily. Even after accepting, liability can be limited to the estate: via estate insolvency (if over-indebted) or the insufficiency defence under § 1990 BGB — then creditors get only the estate, not your private assets.
We are several heirs — how to divide? ▾
You form a community of heirs: until division everything is joint and key decisions are made together. Division runs via an agreement, notarised for property. Disputes go to court, but agreeing is better.
Where to start the re-registration? ▾
With the certificate or will in hand: the bank releases accounts, the land registry re-registers property (free in the first 2 years on inheritance), employer/pension and insurers stop payments. Work through a list so you do not pay for the unused.