Have I Been Appointed an Heir or Left a Specific Legacy in a Will?

Wills and Inheritance Agreements

Prepared by: Constantinople

Receiving a benefit in a will does not always mean you have been appointed an heir. Granting the whole inheritance or a specified fraction differs from leaving a particular asset. For example, receiving a fraction of the estate and demanding delivery of a particular item create different legal positions. We do not decide from a single word; the whole disposition and its actual scope are interpreted together.

An appointed heir also acquires the inheritance on death in the statutory manner. A person left a specific asset generally has a personal claim against the person obliged to fulfil the legacy. This distinction affects the type of application, documents required, result sought and assessment of estate debts. Acquiring heirship and merely demanding transfer of a particular asset are not interchangeable.

When considering a certificate for a disposition in your favour, opening of the will, notification of interested persons and objections are checked. Merely possessing the text or other heirs giving verbal approval does not mean every procedure is complete. If you hold an opening decision, certificate of inheritance or another court decision, we examine separately which question each resolves; we do not treat them as the same document.