Ownership before succession
Who owns the assets before succession?
Family use of a home, portfolio or business does not prove legal title or determine the estate perimeter.
Working principle
Identify the owner, debt and evidence first. Only then consider heirs and structure.
One family balance sheet conceals different rights
An asset may belong to one partner, both partners, a BV or another structure. A mortgage, family loan, compensation claim or contractual beneficiary may sit alongside it. The family’s aggregate value therefore does not yet show what falls into the estate.
It is particularly important not to record company assets as the shareholder’s personal property. The family owns an interest in the company; real estate, cash and liabilities inside the BV have their own legal layer.
Evidence is stronger than confidence
For a working map, the asset category, expected owner, related liability, country and source document are enough. The status remains ‘stated’ until the source has been found or reviewed.
This approach does not require account numbers or addresses. It shows where the family’s expectation rests on evidence and where it rests only on habitual use of an asset.
Signals
Review this if you recognise your system
- personal and joint property are combined in one table
- family loans exist without clear evidence
- insurance or pension rights are treated as an ordinary part of the estate
Next actions
Three steps before choosing a document
- 01separate personal, joint and structure-owned assets
- 02add debts and contractual beneficiaries
- 03record the source and confirmation date
Apply
Ownership and beneficiary inventory
A list of asset categories with owner, liability, evidence and expected event route.
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Marriage, partnership and ownership
The map separates legal title, economic benefit, liabilities and contractual beneficiaries before succession is discussed.
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