INHERITANCE LAW
Inheriting and passing on property
Where several people inherit a house or a flat together, the property initially belongs to all of them jointly and none of them can dispose of it alone (section 2032 German Civil Code). Two things therefore have to be clarified: how the land register is corrected, and how the heirs separate before this becomes a dispute lasting years. As a lawyer for inheritance law in Cologne I handle both steps.
Inheriting property: it belongs to the heirs from the moment of death, the land register lags behind
Ownership passes at the moment of death, automatically, without a contract and without an entry in the land register (section 1922 German Civil Code). The land register is therefore incorrect, because it still shows the deceased. Until that is corrected the property can in practice neither be sold nor charged.
Correcting the land register and the two-year period
The correction is made on application to the land registry, which in Cologne is kept at the Cologne Local Court (section 22 German Land Register Code). The succession has to be proved, as a rule by a certificate of inheritance. Where there is a notarial will or a contract of inheritance, that document together with the probate court's record of its opening is sufficient (section 35). A privately written will is not enough.
The point that saves money: the fee for registering the heirs is not charged if the application reaches the land registry within two years of the death (no. 14110 of the schedule to the German Court and Notary Costs Act). After that the fee is calculated on the value of the property. If the land register contains a note of subsequent inheritance or of executorship, that fundamentally changes what can be done.
A community of heirs holds joint ownership, not fractional shares
Several heirs become jointly entitled to the whole estate rather than owners of one half each (section 2032 German Civil Code). They can only dispose of the property jointly (section 2040), so a sale needs every signature. Whatever is necessary for preservation may be arranged by any co-heir alone, for example repairing a leaking roof (section 2038(1)).
Proper administration is decided by a majority according to shares. The distinction between the property and the share matters: anyone who only wants to get out for themselves does not sell the property but their share in the estate. And anyone can demand the division at any time (section 2042), unless the deceased excluded it or appointed an executor.
Use, rent and compensation for use
The most frequent long-running conflict: one co-heir lives in the house, the others do not. As a rule a new arrangement for the use has to be demanded first, and only from that demand does compensation for use come into question (section 745(2) via section 2038(2) German Civil Code). Anyone who says nothing for years usually gets nothing for those years.
With let properties the heirs step into the current agreements as landlords, with deposits, service charge statements and the tenants' protection against termination. Under the statute the rental income is in principle only shared out when the estate is divided (section 2038(2)), not paid out monthly. In practice this is arranged differently, but by agreement, in writing, with a joint account.
Charges and costs fall on everyone, according to shares
Property tax, buildings insurance, service charges for a flat, maintenance, interest and repayment on a loan still running: these items are borne by the co-heirs according to their shares (section 2038(2) in conjunction with section 748 German Civil Code). Added to that are duties nobody has on their list, such as maintaining safety, including clearing and gritting in winter.
A land charge entered in the land register is no proof of an outstanding debt. Often the loan was repaid long ago and only the deletion was never applied for. Before any valuation, the actual loan balance is obtained from the bank.
Sale, buy-out or partition auction
There are three routes to a division. An open-market sale, with housing scarce in Cologne, usually brings more than any other form of realisation, but needs unanimity. A buy-out by one co-heir against an equalisation payment is the most frequent wish and the second most frequent to fail, on financing. A division agreement transferring land has to be notarially recorded.
A partition auction under sections 180 et seq. of the Act on Compulsory Auctions is the last resort: any co-heir can apply for it at the local court. The proceeds frequently lie below what a normal sale would have achieved. The award does not end the dispute: the proceeds take the place of the property, and the community of heirs still has to agree on how to divide them.
Valuation and the interface with inheritance tax
What counts is the market value. For equalisation and compulsory-share claims the value at the date of death is decisive, for a division today the value today. The standard land values published by the expert committee for property values for the City of Cologne serve as a basis, and for reliable figures an expert report. An estate agent's estimate is a basis for negotiation, not proof of value.
For inheritance tax a separate valuation applies under the German Valuation Act, which differs from the sale price, and there are duties to notify the tax office as well as exemptions with holding periods. That is a matter for the tax adviser, not for me. I identify the interface and bring in the appropriate specialist.
What makes an inherited property expensive
01
Letting the two-year land register period lapse
The property stays registered in the deceased's name because nobody attends to it. From the third year the transfer costs the full land register fee based on the value of the property, and a sale at short notice is delayed by weeks.
02
Negotiating without a valuation
The siblings agree on a buy-out because a figure was mentioned once by someone. Whoever pays or is paid out is then often out by a five-figure sum, and correcting it after the notarial contract is practically hopeless.
03
Sole use without any arrangement
One co-heir stays living in the house and the others say nothing for two years out of consideration. For that period there is usually no compensation for use, because the demand for a new arrangement is missing, and the negotiating position has been given away.
04
Leaving the allocation of costs unresolved
One person pays property tax, insurance and tradespeople out of their own pocket, collects no receipts and obtains no consent. There is then a dispute about reimbursement, necessary maintenance is left undone, and the value of the property falls.
05
Selling in haste or threatening a partition auction
The sale happens under time pressure, or the auction is used as leverage and then actually applied for. What remains is a shortfall in the proceeds plus the costs of the procedure, and the conflict about how to divide the money is still open.
How I proceed
01
Establish the position before negotiating
I review the land register extract and the will, clarify whether a certificate of inheritance is needed and ask the bank for the loan balance. At the end, one sheet of paper says who owns what, what charges the property carries and which deadlines are running.
02
Put figures behind the options
Keep and let, take over against compensation, sell: each variant is calculated, with the value, the charges, the running costs and, where financing is needed, with a firm commitment rather than a statement of intent.
03
Conclude an agreement or enforce the division
The standard case is a division agreement, notarially recorded, with clear provisions on use, costs and the date of payment. If one side does not move, I conduct the proceedings, out of court, before the courts and throughout Germany.
An inherited property in Cologne: jurisdiction and appointments
The land register for Cologne properties is kept at the Cologne Local Court. If the property is in Bergisch Gladbach, Leverkusen or Bruehl, the local court there has jurisdiction, and a partition auction is likewise decided by where the property lies and not by where my office is.
My office is at Jakordenstrasse 8 in Cologne, with appointments by video or phone as well. Standard land values for Cologne locations come from the expert committee for property values for the City of Cologne. If the property lies elsewhere, it is the expert committee there.
A typical situation
01
Three siblings inherit a house in a Cologne suburb
One sister lives on the upper floor, the brother needs money, the third wants to decide nothing. The house carries a land charge and the loan is almost repaid. Three things then come first: a genuine market value, a written arrangement for use with immediate effect, and the question whether the sister can obtain financing.
YOUR QUESTIONS
Frequently asked questions
There is no statutory deadline for the transfer, but it makes sense immediately all the same. The fee for registering the heirs is not charged if the application reaches the land registry within two years of the death (no. 14110 of the schedule to the German Court and Notary Costs Act). As long as the land register shows the deceased, a sale or financing cannot be carried out.
Not automatically. A claim to compensation for use as a rule only arises once the other co-heirs demand a new arrangement for the use (section 745(2) via section 2038(2) German Civil Code). Anyone who stays silent loses those months. A written demand with a concrete proposal makes sense, for instance a monthly payment at the local market rent. Without agreement, compensation for use can be claimed in court.
What counts is the market value, that is, the price that could be achieved in ordinary commerce. The basis is location, condition, size, construction and letting situation, together with the standard land values from the expert committee for property values for the City of Cologne. A reliable figure requires an expert report. For compulsory-share and equalisation claims the value at the date of death applies; for a division today, today's value.
Then any co-heir can demand the division (section 2042 German Civil Code) and, if necessary, apply for a partition auction under sections 180 et seq. of the Act on Compulsory Auctions. The local court sets the market value on the basis of an expert report and auctions the property publicly. The price frequently lies below what could be achieved on the open market, and the proceeds merely take the place of the property: they still have to be divided afterwards.
I bill by time, at an hourly rate of 280 euros plus 19% VAT, with an invoice containing a detailed record of the work done. The statutory fees under the German Lawyers' Fees Act (RVG) form the minimum. Before you instruct me I tell you which steps I consider necessary and what scope to expect. Costs for expert reports, the certificate of inheritance, the notary and the land registry arise in addition.
Discussing a strategy for the property in the estate
Bring what you have: the land register extract, the will, loan documents, tenancy agreements. In the initial consultation we clarify who owns the property, what it is likely to be worth and which route is realistic for your community of heirs. Appointments in Cologne, by video or by phone.
INHERITANCE LAW
Inheriting and passing on property
Where several people inherit a house or a flat together, the property initially belongs to all of them jointly and none of them can dispose of it alone (section 2032 German Civil Code). Two things therefore have to be clarified: how the land register is corrected, and how the heirs separate before this becomes a dispute lasting years. As a lawyer for inheritance law in Cologne I handle both steps.
Inheriting property: it belongs to the heirs from the moment of death, the land register lags behind
Ownership passes at the moment of death, automatically, without a contract and without an entry in the land register (section 1922 German Civil Code). The land register is therefore incorrect, because it still shows the deceased. Until that is corrected the property can in practice neither be sold nor charged.
Correcting the land register and the two-year period
The correction is made on application to the land registry, which in Cologne is kept at the Cologne Local Court (section 22 German Land Register Code). The succession has to be proved, as a rule by a certificate of inheritance. Where there is a notarial will or a contract of inheritance, that document together with the probate court's record of its opening is sufficient (section 35). A privately written will is not enough.
The point that saves money: the fee for registering the heirs is not charged if the application reaches the land registry within two years of the death (no. 14110 of the schedule to the German Court and Notary Costs Act). After that the fee is calculated on the value of the property. If the land register contains a note of subsequent inheritance or of executorship, that fundamentally changes what can be done.
A community of heirs holds joint ownership, not fractional shares
Several heirs become jointly entitled to the whole estate rather than owners of one half each (section 2032 German Civil Code). They can only dispose of the property jointly (section 2040), so a sale needs every signature. Whatever is necessary for preservation may be arranged by any co-heir alone, for example repairing a leaking roof (section 2038(1)).
Proper administration is decided by a majority according to shares. The distinction between the property and the share matters: anyone who only wants to get out for themselves does not sell the property but their share in the estate. And anyone can demand the division at any time (section 2042), unless the deceased excluded it or appointed an executor.
Use, rent and compensation for use
The most frequent long-running conflict: one co-heir lives in the house, the others do not. As a rule a new arrangement for the use has to be demanded first, and only from that demand does compensation for use come into question (section 745(2) via section 2038(2) German Civil Code). Anyone who says nothing for years usually gets nothing for those years.
With let properties the heirs step into the current agreements as landlords, with deposits, service charge statements and the tenants' protection against termination. Under the statute the rental income is in principle only shared out when the estate is divided (section 2038(2)), not paid out monthly. In practice this is arranged differently, but by agreement, in writing, with a joint account.
Charges and costs fall on everyone, according to shares
Property tax, buildings insurance, service charges for a flat, maintenance, interest and repayment on a loan still running: these items are borne by the co-heirs according to their shares (section 2038(2) in conjunction with section 748 German Civil Code). Added to that are duties nobody has on their list, such as maintaining safety, including clearing and gritting in winter.
A land charge entered in the land register is no proof of an outstanding debt. Often the loan was repaid long ago and only the deletion was never applied for. Before any valuation, the actual loan balance is obtained from the bank.
Sale, buy-out or partition auction
There are three routes to a division. An open-market sale, with housing scarce in Cologne, usually brings more than any other form of realisation, but needs unanimity. A buy-out by one co-heir against an equalisation payment is the most frequent wish and the second most frequent to fail, on financing. A division agreement transferring land has to be notarially recorded.
A partition auction under sections 180 et seq. of the Act on Compulsory Auctions is the last resort: any co-heir can apply for it at the local court. The proceeds frequently lie below what a normal sale would have achieved. The award does not end the dispute: the proceeds take the place of the property, and the community of heirs still has to agree on how to divide them.
Valuation and the interface with inheritance tax
What counts is the market value. For equalisation and compulsory-share claims the value at the date of death is decisive, for a division today the value today. The standard land values published by the expert committee for property values for the City of Cologne serve as a basis, and for reliable figures an expert report. An estate agent's estimate is a basis for negotiation, not proof of value.
For inheritance tax a separate valuation applies under the German Valuation Act, which differs from the sale price, and there are duties to notify the tax office as well as exemptions with holding periods. That is a matter for the tax adviser, not for me. I identify the interface and bring in the appropriate specialist.
What makes an inherited property expensive
01
Letting the two-year land register period lapse
The property stays registered in the deceased's name because nobody attends to it. From the third year the transfer costs the full land register fee based on the value of the property, and a sale at short notice is delayed by weeks.
02
Negotiating without a valuation
The siblings agree on a buy-out because a figure was mentioned once by someone. Whoever pays or is paid out is then often out by a five-figure sum, and correcting it after the notarial contract is practically hopeless.
03
Sole use without any arrangement
One co-heir stays living in the house and the others say nothing for two years out of consideration. For that period there is usually no compensation for use, because the demand for a new arrangement is missing, and the negotiating position has been given away.
04
Leaving the allocation of costs unresolved
One person pays property tax, insurance and tradespeople out of their own pocket, collects no receipts and obtains no consent. There is then a dispute about reimbursement, necessary maintenance is left undone, and the value of the property falls.
05
Selling in haste or threatening a partition auction
The sale happens under time pressure, or the auction is used as leverage and then actually applied for. What remains is a shortfall in the proceeds plus the costs of the procedure, and the conflict about how to divide the money is still open.
How I proceed
01
Establish the position before negotiating
I review the land register extract and the will, clarify whether a certificate of inheritance is needed and ask the bank for the loan balance. At the end, one sheet of paper says who owns what, what charges the property carries and which deadlines are running.
02
Put figures behind the options
Keep and let, take over against compensation, sell: each variant is calculated, with the value, the charges, the running costs and, where financing is needed, with a firm commitment rather than a statement of intent.
03
Conclude an agreement or enforce the division
The standard case is a division agreement, notarially recorded, with clear provisions on use, costs and the date of payment. If one side does not move, I conduct the proceedings, out of court, before the courts and throughout Germany.
An inherited property in Cologne: jurisdiction and appointments
The land register for Cologne properties is kept at the Cologne Local Court. If the property is in Bergisch Gladbach, Leverkusen or Bruehl, the local court there has jurisdiction, and a partition auction is likewise decided by where the property lies and not by where my office is.
My office is at Jakordenstrasse 8 in Cologne, with appointments by video or phone as well. Standard land values for Cologne locations come from the expert committee for property values for the City of Cologne. If the property lies elsewhere, it is the expert committee there.
A typical situation
01
Three siblings inherit a house in a Cologne suburb
One sister lives on the upper floor, the brother needs money, the third wants to decide nothing. The house carries a land charge and the loan is almost repaid. Three things then come first: a genuine market value, a written arrangement for use with immediate effect, and the question whether the sister can obtain financing.
YOUR QUESTIONS
Frequently asked questions
There is no statutory deadline for the transfer, but it makes sense immediately all the same. The fee for registering the heirs is not charged if the application reaches the land registry within two years of the death (no. 14110 of the schedule to the German Court and Notary Costs Act). As long as the land register shows the deceased, a sale or financing cannot be carried out.
Not automatically. A claim to compensation for use as a rule only arises once the other co-heirs demand a new arrangement for the use (section 745(2) via section 2038(2) German Civil Code). Anyone who stays silent loses those months. A written demand with a concrete proposal makes sense, for instance a monthly payment at the local market rent. Without agreement, compensation for use can be claimed in court.
What counts is the market value, that is, the price that could be achieved in ordinary commerce. The basis is location, condition, size, construction and letting situation, together with the standard land values from the expert committee for property values for the City of Cologne. A reliable figure requires an expert report. For compulsory-share and equalisation claims the value at the date of death applies; for a division today, today's value.
Then any co-heir can demand the division (section 2042 German Civil Code) and, if necessary, apply for a partition auction under sections 180 et seq. of the Act on Compulsory Auctions. The local court sets the market value on the basis of an expert report and auctions the property publicly. The price frequently lies below what could be achieved on the open market, and the proceeds merely take the place of the property: they still have to be divided afterwards.
I bill by time, at an hourly rate of 280 euros plus 19% VAT, with an invoice containing a detailed record of the work done. The statutory fees under the German Lawyers' Fees Act (RVG) form the minimum. Before you instruct me I tell you which steps I consider necessary and what scope to expect. Costs for expert reports, the certificate of inheritance, the notary and the land registry arise in addition.
Discussing a strategy for the property in the estate
Bring what you have: the land register extract, the will, loan documents, tenancy agreements. In the initial consultation we clarify who owns the property, what it is likely to be worth and which route is realistic for your community of heirs. Appointments in Cologne, by video or by phone.
INHERITANCE LAW
Inheriting and passing on property
Where several people inherit a house or a flat together, the property initially belongs to all of them jointly and none of them can dispose of it alone (section 2032 German Civil Code). Two things therefore have to be clarified: how the land register is corrected, and how the heirs separate before this becomes a dispute lasting years. As a lawyer for inheritance law in Cologne I handle both steps.
Inheriting property: it belongs to the heirs from the moment of death, the land register lags behind
Ownership passes at the moment of death, automatically, without a contract and without an entry in the land register (section 1922 German Civil Code). The land register is therefore incorrect, because it still shows the deceased. Until that is corrected the property can in practice neither be sold nor charged.
Correcting the land register and the two-year period
The correction is made on application to the land registry, which in Cologne is kept at the Cologne Local Court (section 22 German Land Register Code). The succession has to be proved, as a rule by a certificate of inheritance. Where there is a notarial will or a contract of inheritance, that document together with the probate court's record of its opening is sufficient (section 35). A privately written will is not enough.
The point that saves money: the fee for registering the heirs is not charged if the application reaches the land registry within two years of the death (no. 14110 of the schedule to the German Court and Notary Costs Act). After that the fee is calculated on the value of the property. If the land register contains a note of subsequent inheritance or of executorship, that fundamentally changes what can be done.
A community of heirs holds joint ownership, not fractional shares
Several heirs become jointly entitled to the whole estate rather than owners of one half each (section 2032 German Civil Code). They can only dispose of the property jointly (section 2040), so a sale needs every signature. Whatever is necessary for preservation may be arranged by any co-heir alone, for example repairing a leaking roof (section 2038(1)).
Proper administration is decided by a majority according to shares. The distinction between the property and the share matters: anyone who only wants to get out for themselves does not sell the property but their share in the estate. And anyone can demand the division at any time (section 2042), unless the deceased excluded it or appointed an executor.
Use, rent and compensation for use
The most frequent long-running conflict: one co-heir lives in the house, the others do not. As a rule a new arrangement for the use has to be demanded first, and only from that demand does compensation for use come into question (section 745(2) via section 2038(2) German Civil Code). Anyone who says nothing for years usually gets nothing for those years.
With let properties the heirs step into the current agreements as landlords, with deposits, service charge statements and the tenants' protection against termination. Under the statute the rental income is in principle only shared out when the estate is divided (section 2038(2)), not paid out monthly. In practice this is arranged differently, but by agreement, in writing, with a joint account.
Charges and costs fall on everyone, according to shares
Property tax, buildings insurance, service charges for a flat, maintenance, interest and repayment on a loan still running: these items are borne by the co-heirs according to their shares (section 2038(2) in conjunction with section 748 German Civil Code). Added to that are duties nobody has on their list, such as maintaining safety, including clearing and gritting in winter.
A land charge entered in the land register is no proof of an outstanding debt. Often the loan was repaid long ago and only the deletion was never applied for. Before any valuation, the actual loan balance is obtained from the bank.
Sale, buy-out or partition auction
There are three routes to a division. An open-market sale, with housing scarce in Cologne, usually brings more than any other form of realisation, but needs unanimity. A buy-out by one co-heir against an equalisation payment is the most frequent wish and the second most frequent to fail, on financing. A division agreement transferring land has to be notarially recorded.
A partition auction under sections 180 et seq. of the Act on Compulsory Auctions is the last resort: any co-heir can apply for it at the local court. The proceeds frequently lie below what a normal sale would have achieved. The award does not end the dispute: the proceeds take the place of the property, and the community of heirs still has to agree on how to divide them.
Valuation and the interface with inheritance tax
What counts is the market value. For equalisation and compulsory-share claims the value at the date of death is decisive, for a division today the value today. The standard land values published by the expert committee for property values for the City of Cologne serve as a basis, and for reliable figures an expert report. An estate agent's estimate is a basis for negotiation, not proof of value.
For inheritance tax a separate valuation applies under the German Valuation Act, which differs from the sale price, and there are duties to notify the tax office as well as exemptions with holding periods. That is a matter for the tax adviser, not for me. I identify the interface and bring in the appropriate specialist.
What makes an inherited property expensive
01
Letting the two-year land register period lapse
The property stays registered in the deceased's name because nobody attends to it. From the third year the transfer costs the full land register fee based on the value of the property, and a sale at short notice is delayed by weeks.
02
Negotiating without a valuation
The siblings agree on a buy-out because a figure was mentioned once by someone. Whoever pays or is paid out is then often out by a five-figure sum, and correcting it after the notarial contract is practically hopeless.
03
Sole use without any arrangement
One co-heir stays living in the house and the others say nothing for two years out of consideration. For that period there is usually no compensation for use, because the demand for a new arrangement is missing, and the negotiating position has been given away.
04
Leaving the allocation of costs unresolved
One person pays property tax, insurance and tradespeople out of their own pocket, collects no receipts and obtains no consent. There is then a dispute about reimbursement, necessary maintenance is left undone, and the value of the property falls.
05
Selling in haste or threatening a partition auction
The sale happens under time pressure, or the auction is used as leverage and then actually applied for. What remains is a shortfall in the proceeds plus the costs of the procedure, and the conflict about how to divide the money is still open.
How I proceed
01
Establish the position before negotiating
I review the land register extract and the will, clarify whether a certificate of inheritance is needed and ask the bank for the loan balance. At the end, one sheet of paper says who owns what, what charges the property carries and which deadlines are running.
02
Put figures behind the options
Keep and let, take over against compensation, sell: each variant is calculated, with the value, the charges, the running costs and, where financing is needed, with a firm commitment rather than a statement of intent.
03
Conclude an agreement or enforce the division
The standard case is a division agreement, notarially recorded, with clear provisions on use, costs and the date of payment. If one side does not move, I conduct the proceedings, out of court, before the courts and throughout Germany.
An inherited property in Cologne: jurisdiction and appointments
The land register for Cologne properties is kept at the Cologne Local Court. If the property is in Bergisch Gladbach, Leverkusen or Bruehl, the local court there has jurisdiction, and a partition auction is likewise decided by where the property lies and not by where my office is.
My office is at Jakordenstrasse 8 in Cologne, with appointments by video or phone as well. Standard land values for Cologne locations come from the expert committee for property values for the City of Cologne. If the property lies elsewhere, it is the expert committee there.
A typical situation
01
Three siblings inherit a house in a Cologne suburb
One sister lives on the upper floor, the brother needs money, the third wants to decide nothing. The house carries a land charge and the loan is almost repaid. Three things then come first: a genuine market value, a written arrangement for use with immediate effect, and the question whether the sister can obtain financing.
YOUR QUESTIONS
Frequently asked questions
There is no statutory deadline for the transfer, but it makes sense immediately all the same. The fee for registering the heirs is not charged if the application reaches the land registry within two years of the death (no. 14110 of the schedule to the German Court and Notary Costs Act). As long as the land register shows the deceased, a sale or financing cannot be carried out.
Not automatically. A claim to compensation for use as a rule only arises once the other co-heirs demand a new arrangement for the use (section 745(2) via section 2038(2) German Civil Code). Anyone who stays silent loses those months. A written demand with a concrete proposal makes sense, for instance a monthly payment at the local market rent. Without agreement, compensation for use can be claimed in court.
What counts is the market value, that is, the price that could be achieved in ordinary commerce. The basis is location, condition, size, construction and letting situation, together with the standard land values from the expert committee for property values for the City of Cologne. A reliable figure requires an expert report. For compulsory-share and equalisation claims the value at the date of death applies; for a division today, today's value.
Then any co-heir can demand the division (section 2042 German Civil Code) and, if necessary, apply for a partition auction under sections 180 et seq. of the Act on Compulsory Auctions. The local court sets the market value on the basis of an expert report and auctions the property publicly. The price frequently lies below what could be achieved on the open market, and the proceeds merely take the place of the property: they still have to be divided afterwards.
I bill by time, at an hourly rate of 280 euros plus 19% VAT, with an invoice containing a detailed record of the work done. The statutory fees under the German Lawyers' Fees Act (RVG) form the minimum. Before you instruct me I tell you which steps I consider necessary and what scope to expect. Costs for expert reports, the certificate of inheritance, the notary and the land registry arise in addition.
Discussing a strategy for the property in the estate
Bring what you have: the land register extract, the will, loan documents, tenancy agreements. In the initial consultation we clarify who owns the property, what it is likely to be worth and which route is realistic for your community of heirs. Appointments in Cologne, by video or by phone.