You have three options: keep and live in it, keep and rent it out, or sell. First accept the estate, obtain the acte d’hérédité immobilier and settle inheritance tax, due within a set filing period after death in Wallonia (Notaire.be, 2026). An accurate valuation drives every choice.
Inheriting a house is inheriting a decision, not just a set of keys. Before you weigh keeping, letting or selling, three legal steps set the frame. You must decide whether to accept the estate outright, accept it under benefit of inventory, or renounce it if debts might outweigh assets. You need a real estate inheritance deed (acte d’hérédité immobilier), mandatory since 2022 to register the transfer of the property to the heirs (Notaire.be, 2026). And inheritance tax must be declared and paid to the Walloon Region within the filing period that runs from the death.
The tax reality often decides the outcome. Walloon inheritance duty in the direct line is progressive, starting at 3% on the first 12,500 euros and reaching 30% above 500,000 euros (Notaire.be, 2026). A surprising and valuable rule: the surviving spouse or legal cohabitant is fully exempt from inheritance duty on their share of the family home (Notaire.be, 2026). For children, however, a valuable property can generate a substantial bill, and because the tax falls due before any sale, heirs frequently sell precisely to fund the duty itself.
Once the legal groundwork is done, the choice is financial and personal. Keeping to live in it can suit a main-residence move, with Walloon registration duty on your own and sole home reduced to 3% since 1 January 2025 if you buy out co-heirs’ shares (wallonie.be, 2025). Keeping to rent generates income but brings management, an EPC (PEB), an electrical compliance certificate (CE) and possible works to make the home lettable. Selling converts an illiquid, jointly held asset into cash that can be split cleanly among heirs, and the family home carried through an inheritance is exempt from the 16.5% capital-gains tax (Notaire.be, 2026).
The overlooked step is valuation. The value declared for inheritance tax should be defensible, because under-declaring risks a later penalty while over-declaring inflates the duty. A documented, independent estimate protects the heirs on both fronts and gives every co-owner the same number to negotiate around.
At a glance
| Option | Best when | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Keep and live in | You want it as your main home | Buy-out cost, 3% registration duty since 2025 |
| Keep and rent out | Long-term income goal | EPC (PEB), CE certificate, management, works |
| Sell | Multiple heirs, need liquidity | Inheritance tax falls due before sale proceeds |
| First, always | Any option | Accept estate, acte d’hérédité, declare tax |