Settling an inheritance with the notary in Ghent: step by step
You settle an inheritance in six steps: reporting the death, finding out who inherits, releasing the accounts, accepting or renouncing the inheritance, filing the inheritance tax return and dividing the assets.
You settle an inheritance step by step, in the order of this page. At Verschaffel & Callens, associated notaries in Ghent, the notary explains at each step what needs to happen and which deed goes with it. If you would like help with a step, ask the office for advice.
What does the notary do when you sell a house?
Immediately after a death, you have the death certified and register it with the civil registrar.
According to notaris.be (consulted on 12 October 2026), a doctor comes to certify the death if your loved one dies at home.
You choose a funeral director yourself. According to notaris.be, the funeral director takes over much of the paperwork. You receive an extract of the death certificate. notaris.be also recommends asking for several copies of the extract.
You then contact a notary. The notary checks whether the deceased made a will.
Who inherits?
Without a will or marriage contract, the law designates the heirs according to a fixed sequence of four orders.
According to notaris.be (consulted on 12 October 2026), a higher order excludes the heirs of a lower order.
Three rules apply to the partner.
According to notaris.be, the surviving spouse always inherits the usufruct of the family home with its household goods and furniture.
Unmarried partners who simply live together do not inherit from each other, unless a will provides for it.
Legal cohabitants do inherit from each other, by means of a declaration to the civil registrar.
Usufruct is the right to use another person’s property and to collect its proceeds. Bare ownership is the ownership of property over which someone else holds the usufruct. If the partner inherits the usufruct of the family home, the children inherit the bare ownership.
How do you release blocked accounts?
In Flanders, you file the inheritance tax return within four months of the death.
According to notaris.be (consulted on 12 October 2026), filing is compulsory.
The return is a list of all assets and debts: the assets (claims, shares, property) and the liabilities (debts). Immovable property is valued.
According to notaris.be, Vlabel, the Flemish Tax Administration, calculates the inheritance tax on the basis of the return. Those who inherit pay it. After the tax assessment notice, you have two months to pay.
According to notaris.be, completing the return is complex, and a notary office knows which searches and applications are needed.
Do you have to accept the inheritance?
As an heir you have three options: accept the inheritance unconditionally, accept it subject to an inventory, or renounce it.
According to notaris.be (consulted on 12 October 2026), you can also accept an inheritance tacitly, for example by using the deceased’s car or moving into a home that is part of the estate.
Three rules apply to the partner.
According to notaris.be, if you are in doubt about the debts, consult a notary quickly. A minor heir cannot accept or renounce on their own: the surviving parent must act, with authorisation from the justice of the peace.
According to notaris.be, the costs of renouncing or accepting subject to an inventory depend on the case. Check them with the calculators on notaris.be.
How do you divide the inheritance?
You can only divide the inheritance once all heirs agree, both on the division and on how it is done.
According to notaris.be, until the division the heirs jointly own the estate in undivided ownership.
Immovable property requires a deed of succession to real estate. According to notaris.be (consulted on 12 October 2026), this is a notarial deed that establishes who the heirs are and what share each receives. You need the deed to sell or divide the property, and the notary can draw it up.
If the heirs cannot agree, the court decides and appoints a notary-liquidator.
A question about your situation?
Each step requires a different deed or declaration, and the notary explains which one you need. On the contact page you will find the email addresses of notary Pierre Verschaffel and notary Ward Callens. More information about inheritance is available on notaris.be. Send the office a message and ask for advice.