7% of people rejecting or only conditionally accepting inheritances

The figures come from the Finance Ministry and have been collated by the daily De Tijd.

Bart Van Opstal of the Royal Federation of Belgian Notaries: "Inheritance issues are getting more and more complicated and as a result people benefitting from an inheritance are becoming increasingly cautious."

More and more families consist of reconstituted families with children from different marriages or partners. Sometimes there has been little contact with the deceased and an inventory is requested before somebody accepts an inheritance.

On occasion people first want to obtain more information about potential outstanding debts.

The figure has also increased because of the recent hike in the number of bankruptcies. An heir inheriting from a bankrupt will reject the inheritance.