Notaries Must Check Debt Status of Testators Starting Today

© Государственная Дума

A law has come into effect obliging notaries to inform heirs about the unpaid loans of the deceased.

An inheritance, as is known, includes not only the property of the deceased but also their debts. Heirs are liable for these debts in proportion to their share in the inheritance. However, heirs were previously not informed about existing debts.

Under the new law, the notary has three working days to find out about the unpaid loans and microloans of the deceased, and then another three days to inform the heirs about them.

"Thus, it will be possible to compare the size of the debt with the value of the inherited property and make a reasoned decision: to accept the inheritance or not," concluded the press service of the State Duma.