A death brings a lot at once. You do not have to decide everything straight away. What does have a date, we set out here, in the order in which it usually comes.
You can sell an inherited home as soon as all heirs agree and the notary has drawn up the deed of succession for immovable property (akte van onroerende erfopvolging). The deadline you must meet without fail is that of the estate declaration (aangifte van nalatenschap): 4 months after a death in Belgium (Flemish Tax Administration, checked 28 October 2026). First choose at the notary whether you accept the inheritance, and only clear out the home after that.
What is your home worth?
First see what your home is worth. Then start preparing early and without obligation: free, for as long as you like.
How quickly it goes depends mainly on two things: the notary and the heirs. To sell an inherited home you need a deed of succession for immovable property, and the notary draws that up (notaris.be). On top of that, all heirs have to agree, and whoever is a co-owner signs along.
You do not have to take the decision to sell in the first weeks. The estate declaration does have a hard deadline, and you are best to make the choice about the inheritance before you do anything with the home. So start at the notary, and let the sale follow after that.
You can use the first months to look calmly at what you want: sell, one of the children takes over, or the home stays in the family for a while. Each of those choices has its own rules, which you read further on.
Part 2
What do you decide first: accept or renounce the inheritance?
Each heir chooses for themselves what to do with the inheritance. Renouncing, and accepting under benefit of inventory, has only been possible at the notary since 3 August 2017 (notaris.be). Once you have accepted, there is no way back if debts turn up later.
Accepting can also happen tacitly, without you meaning it that way. Whoever clears out the home of a deceased relative is presumed to accept the inheritance, even if there are debts (notaris.be, 2017). The same can apply to transferring money from the account of the deceased, paying outstanding invoices or applying for the deed of succession yourself (notaris.be, 24 March 2026).
If you are in doubt about debts, take nothing out of the house yet and first ask the notary what you may already do in the meantime. These are the three choices:
Accept: you inherit the assets and also the debts.
Accept under benefit of inventory: the notary first draws up an inventory of all assets and debts, and you can never be held liable for more than the value of the assets (notaris.be).
Renounce: you inherit nothing. For an estate of less than € 6,093.20 this can be done free of charge (notaris.be, March 2026).
Part 3
Which deadlines run after a death?
The most important deadline is that of the estate declaration: 4 months after a death in Belgium, 5 months after a death elsewhere in the European Economic Area and 6 months outside it (Flemish Tax Administration). The day of the death does not count, the last day does. If that falls on a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday, the deadline moves to the next working day.
An example: for a death on 15 September 2026, the final date is 15 January 2027. If you request an extension in writing before that date, you get two extra months on simple request, until 15 March 2027. A longer extension is only possible with a justification.
If you file late, every heir risks a tax increase, even if there was an extension. The notary can draw up the declaration for you, but the responsibility lies with the heirs. In short:
Estate declaration: 4 months after the death in Belgium, with 2 months of extension on simple written request.
Binding valuation of the home: apply before you file the declaration and before the end of the deadline.
Tax assessment: normally arrives within 3 months after the declaration; in principle you pay within 2 months after it is sent.
Check of the value: the Flemish Tax Administration can verify up to 2 years after the declaration whether the home was not valued too low.
Accept or renounce: ask your notary which deadlines apply in your situation, and decide before you do anything with the home.
Part 4
Do all heirs have to agree to sell the home?
Yes. As long as the inheritance has not been divided, the heirs are joint owners in undivided co-ownership: each has a right to the same house (notaris.be). So you sell together, and every owner signs the sale agreement (compromis) and the deed, in person or by power of attorney.
Whoever cannot come to the notary can give a digital power of attorney to a member of the notary's staff, by video call from home, or a power of attorney to a trusted person (notaris.be). That helps if one of you lives far away.
If the deceased was married or in a legal cohabitation, the surviving partner receives by law the usufruct of the family home, and the children the bare ownership (notaris.be). The survivor and the children then sign together, because none of them can sell alone.
If someone does not want to sell, there is still a way out: nobody can be forced to remain in undivided co-ownership. You can ask the court for the division, without giving a reason and without a limitation period (notaris.be).
Part 5
Which value do you give the home in the declaration, and how much inheritance tax do you pay?
In the declaration you state a realistic value for the home. That can be done in three ways: yourself, with a valuation report by a surveyor, or with a free binding valuation by the Flemish Tax Administration (notaris.be). If you sell within 2 years after the declaration for at least 10 % more than you declared yourself, you risk extra inheritance tax and a tax increase.
Inheritance tax (also called succession duties) is calculated per heir, and for children and partners separately on movable and immovable property. In the direct line and between partners, the rate in Flanders is 3 % up to € 50,000, 9 % up to € 250,000 and 27 % above that (Flemish Tax Administration, checked 28 October 2026).
An example: two children together inherit a home of € 360,000, each for half. On € 180,000 each child pays 3 % on the first € 50,000 (€ 1,500) and 9 % on the rest (€ 11,700), together € 13,200. Savings and other movable property count separately.
The surviving partner pays no inheritance tax on the family home if you were married, in a legal cohabitation or had lived together de facto for at least 3 years (Flemish Tax Administration). You apply for that exemption in the declaration, under "Gunstregelingen" (favourable schemes).
Which region levies the inheritance tax depends on where the deceased lived, not on where the home is located: if he or she lived in more than one place in Belgium during the last 5 years, the region where that was longest counts (Flemish Tax Administration). Brussels has different brackets and gives partners and children an exemption on the first € 15,000 of their share (notaris.be). For Wallonia, ask your notary about the rules.
Part 6
Which documents do you need to sell an inherited home?
You sell an inherited home with the same documents as any other home. On top of that comes the deed of succession for immovable property, which shows who the new owners are (notaris.be). In Flanders you need, among other things (Flemish government):
The EPC (energy performance certificate), before you put the home up for sale; the label belongs in the advertisement.
An asbestos certificate (asbestattest) if the home dates from before 2001; the buyer receives it at the latest with the sale agreement.
A soil certificate (bodemattest) from OVAM, which the notary usually requests.
The inspection report of the electrical installation.
Planning information (stedenbouwkundige inlichtingen), no older than 1 year at the time of the sale.
Information on flood sensitivity, which appears in the advertisement and later in the deed.
A post-intervention file if a contractor built or renovated after May 2001.
A certificate for the heating oil tank, if the home is heated with heating oil.
For a flat in a building from before 2001: from 1 January 2027 also the asbestos certificate for the common parts, otherwise the transfer is blocked (OVAM).
Part 7
Do you pay capital gains tax, and does the buyer have to renovate?
On a home you inherited, you pay no capital gains tax when you sell (notaris.be). The rule of 16.5 % on the capital gain applies to a built second or third home that you bought and sell within 5 years, not to a home from an inheritance.
An inheritance also does not fall under the Flemish renovation obligation. If a renovation obligation was already running for the deceased, the heirs do have to meet it within the remaining term (Flemish government).
Whoever buys the home from you with label E or F must renovate it to at least label D within 6 years after the deed (Flemish government, approved 12 December 2025). A buyer takes that into account, so an EPC that is ready early prevents surprises during the negotiation.
Part 8
How do you prepare the sale calmly?
Whatever you decide, a sale starts with a complete dossier. You can build that at your own pace, while the notary settles the inheritance. Do let the notary first confirm which steps you may already take, and only clear out the house once the choice about the inheritance is settled.
At Hoobler you start a sales dossier for free from the address, with an account via itsme. Hoobler retrieves the documents it can, such as the cadastral data, the planning information and the regional zoning plan, and shows which other documents the home needs. Certificates such as the EPC, the asbestos certificate and the electrical inspection you order from the dossier at our partner De Immowinkel, at their rate.
If you want an idea of the value to talk about together, the free first valuation gives a starting point; it is not a valuation for the Flemish Tax Administration or the notary. How you sell after that, yourself or with a realtor, you decide later.
Frequently asked questions
Answered briefly.
Do all heirs have to sign when a house is sold?
Yes. As long as the inheritance has not been divided, all heirs are joint owners and each signs the sale agreement and the deed, in person or by power of attorney. If the surviving partner has the usufruct, they sign along too.
Can an heir block the sale of the parental home?
Not forever. Nobody can be forced to remain in undivided co-ownership: the other heirs can ask the court for the division, without giving a reason and without a limitation period (notaris.be). An heir who lives in the house cannot block the sale either. If a surviving spouse has the usufruct, other rules apply.
May I clear out the house after the death of my parents?
Wait with that until you have chosen at the notary whether you accept the inheritance. Whoever clears out the home is presumed to accept the inheritance, even if there are debts (notaris.be). Ask the notary what you may already do in the meantime.
Do you pay capital gains tax when you sell an inherited house?
No. On a home you inherited, you pay no capital gains tax when you sell (notaris.be). Do watch the value in the declaration: if you sell within 2 years after the declaration for at least 10 % more than you declared yourself, you risk extra inheritance tax.
When does the estate declaration have to be filed?
Within 4 months after a death in Belgium, 5 months in the European Economic Area and 6 months outside it (Flemish Tax Administration, checked 28 October 2026). On simple written request before the end of the deadline you get 2 months of extension. Filing late costs every heir a tax increase.
Is it better to sell the parental home or to let it?
That depends on what you want together and can carry. Letting or keeping it together requires clear agreements on costs, management and the rent, and an agreement to remain in undivided co-ownership can last for a maximum of 5 years (notaris.be). Take the time to discuss it together.
Sander, co-founder of Hoobler with 15 years of experience in property sales, calls you once, at a time that suits you. Together you set out what the home needs. After that you choose, at your own pace.