ErbenakteA co-heir lives in the inherited house: what you can record
Checked on 11.11.2026
Translated from German. Where anything differs, the German text counts: Deutsche Fassung
It is the most common question in communities of heirs: one lives in the parents' house, the others want their share, and nobody knows which figures to talk about.
What generally applies
The house belongs to all heirs together until they divide it. The heirs decide on its administration together, on much of it by a majority of their shares. Whether, and how much, compensation can be claimed for sole use depends on the individual case; that is for a lawyer to assess, not this page.
What helps in any case
- Write down the costs. Property tax, insurance, repairs: who paid what, with date and receipt.
- The values side by side. An estate agent's value, a valuation, the land value: each with its source. People rarely argue about the calculation, mostly about the figure it uses.
- Work out the options. Sale, takeover by one heir, payout, letting, with the same figures for everyone.
An example with assumed figures
A value of €300,000, debts of €80,000: €220,000 remain. If an heir with a share of one third takes over, the others' shares together account for two thirds, €146,666.67. The calculation says nothing about which value is the right one; in the app everyone calculates with the same figures they entered themselves.