Without a will, the life partner may end up empty

12 October 2017 / Mag. Markus PEIER

The 2015 Inheritance Law Amendment Act came into force for the most part on 1 January 2017. In addition to only linguistic changes, the inheritance laws, which largely date back to 1811, were also adapted in terms of content. For the first time, a so-called extraordinary inheritance law for partners was also introduced:

In the absence of a legal inheritance, the deceased’s partner shall be entitled to the entire inheritance, provided that he or she has lived in the common household with the deceased as his or her partner for at least three years prior to the death of the deceased. This also means, however, that without a will the life partner only inherits if there is no (even a distant) relative. Thus, without a will, for example, the descendants of the deceased’s aunt, who is also dead, take precedence over the life partner in the inheritance right.

In order to avoid unpleasant surprises, therefore, in spite of the changes introduced by the 2015 Injitance Law Amendment Act, life-mates should establish a final will (wills). We will be happy to advise you. The first consultation with the notary is free of charge.

Without a will, the life partner may end up empty

12 October 2017 / Mag. Markus PEIER

The 2015 Inheritance Law Amendment Act came into force for the most part on 1 January 2017. In addition to only linguistic changes, the inheritance laws, which largely date back to 1811, were also adapted in terms of content. For the first time, a so-called extraordinary inheritance law for partners was also introduced:

In the absence of a legal inheritance, the deceased’s partner shall be entitled to the entire inheritance, provided that he or she has lived in the common household with the deceased as his or her partner for at least three years prior to the death of the deceased. This also means, however, that without a will the life partner only inherits if there is no (even a distant) relative. Thus, without a will, for example, the descendants of the deceased’s aunt, who is also dead, take precedence over the life partner in the inheritance right.

In order to avoid unpleasant surprises, therefore, in spite of the changes introduced by the 2015 Injitance Law Amendment Act, life-mates should establish a final will (wills). We will be happy to advise you. The first consultation with the notary is free of charge.