How long does all of this take?

From the date of death to the completed sale, the median is nine to fourteen months. Much of it is waiting on authorities and banks — the certificate of inheritance alone takes two to four months.

What really has to happen in the first week?

Secure the house, inform the insurer and obtain six to eight death certificates. The decision about the house belongs in the third or fourth month, not in the first week.

How do I arrange this from a distance?

With a notarially certified power of attorney to a person on the spot, bundled appointments with authorities, or a coordinator who leads several tasks from one hand — at a transparent fee fixed in writing in advance.

Do I need a certificate of inheritance to reach the bank accounts?

Often yes, but not always: for many banks an opened will with the opening record suffices. With a power of attorney surviving death, accounts can even be moved without any wait. Securing the house and transferring the insurance is already possible with the death certificate.

Knowledge · Guide · German law applies

An inherited house far away.

A companion through the first months when the inherited house is not where you live — ordered, careful, at your own pace. Without your needing to know today everything that has to be decided in the sixth month.

Read the full guide · 12 pp.

Updated: June 2026 · General orientation, not legal or tax advice in the individual case (§ 3 RDG, § 4 StBerG)

Between your home and the inherited house lies a distance you cannot readily bridge yourself — and yet you have to decide. This takes time: from the date of death to the completed sale, the median is nine to fourteen months, much of it waiting on authorities and banks rather than activity of your own. That is the reality — and it is not your fault.

In the first seven days, only a little is urgent. What presses: securing the house (keys, frost protection in winter), a notice to the buildings insurer, and six to eight death certificates from the register office — copies are often not accepted. What does not press: the application for the certificate of inheritance (there is no deadline for it — the six weeks concern only a possible disclaimer of the inheritance), standing contracts, and above all the question of what happens to the house. That belongs in the third or fourth month, not in the first week.

A recommendation, not a deadline. The application for the certificate of inheritance at the probate court of the last habitual residence (processing two to four months). The § 30 ErbStG notice to the tax office within three months — a brief notification suffices, the tax return follows later. Check bank powers of attorney: a power of attorney that survives death spares you the wait for the certificate of inheritance. And a mail forwarding order at the post office takes off enormous pressure.

Only once the certificate of inheritance is in hand do you speak about the house. Clearing it takes more time than expected — for a long-inhabited house, three to six weekends; valuables, photographs and letters should be sorted through first. A market-value appraisal (€1,500–3,500) settles the worth between siblings, serves the tax office and a realistic expectation of price. By the fourth month at the latest, an open conversation among siblings: keep, let, or pass on.

None of the three options demands haste. Keeping and letting is a calm solution where the location and constellation are sound (property management 3–7 % of the net rent). On a sale, a reputable estate agent asks for no money before the listing but a commission only on success — and does not push for an instant valuation. Three hard bottlenecks: the buyer’s financing commitment arrives only in the final third, the notarial contract is provided 14 days beforehand (§ 17 BeurkG), and the re-registration in the land register then takes three to five months.

Three ways: a notarially certified power of attorney (certification of a signature costs €20–70 plus VAT depending on value; notarisation with a draft costs more) to a person on the spot; bundling appointments with authorities into one longer stay rather than five separate journeys; or a coordinator on the spot who leads the clearing, valuation and listing from one hand — with a transparent fee fixed in writing in advance. Deeper questions on a community of heirs are covered in the guide When several inherit one house.

Certificate of inheritance (Erbschein): An official document with which the probate court confirms who is an heir and in what share. Needed for most bank and land-register matters.
Power of attorney surviving death (postmortale Vollmacht): A power of attorney that expressly applies „beyond death“ — it permits banking matters without waiting for the certificate of inheritance.
§ 30 ErbStG notice: The duty to notify the tax office of an inheritance within three months — a brief notification suffices.
The 14-day period (BeurkG): For consumer contracts, the draft should as a rule be available two weeks before notarisation (§ 17 (2a) BeurkG) — allow for this time; it can only be shortened for good reason.

How long does all of this take?: From the date of death to the completed sale, the median is nine to fourteen months. Much of it is waiting on authorities and banks — the certificate of inheritance alone takes two to four months.
What really has to happen in the first week?: Secure the house, inform the insurer and obtain six to eight death certificates. The decision about the house belongs in the third or fourth month, not in the first week.
How do I arrange this from a distance?: With a notarially certified power of attorney to a person on the spot, bundled appointments with authorities, or a coordinator who leads several tasks from one hand — at a transparent fee fixed in writing in advance.
Do I need a certificate of inheritance to reach the bank accounts?: Often yes, but not always: for many banks an opened will with the opening record suffices. With a power of attorney surviving death, accounts can even be moved without any wait. Securing the house and transferring the insurance is already possible with the death certificate.