On a grey February morning, the notary’s office is already full. A daughter clutching a folder of medical papers. Two brothers who barely look at each other. A second wife scrolling nervously on her phone. Outside, the city moves as usual. Inside, what’s written in one new law will decide who keeps the house, who sells it, who walks away feeling robbed.
The notary adjusts his glasses and repeats the same sentence for the third time: “Since February, the rules have changed.”
Faces tighten. Someone whispers, “So… does that mean I get less?”
A new inheritance law has just come into force, and it’s quietly rewriting the script of family stories.
What exactly is changing for heirs this February?
Across the country, families are discovering that the old rules about who gets what after a death no longer fully apply. The new inheritance law, in force since February, tweaks three sensitive levers: how much children are guaranteed, what freedom parents have to favor a partner or a specific heir, and how digital and foreign assets are treated.
On paper, it looks technical. In real life, it can turn a mild disagreement into a full-blown war.
The law aims to match how we actually live now: blended families, cohabitation, shared custody, side businesses, crypto portfolios. The calm-looking legal text hides a very human question: whose love counts, and how much.
Take this scene that estate lawyers have begun to see repeatedly since February. A man dies, leaving two children from a first marriage and a partner he never married, but lived with for 15 years. Under the new framework, a bigger slice of the estate can now be left to that partner by will, cutting slightly into what the children expected by default.
Tensions explode fast.
The eldest child shows screenshots of old messages: “Dad always said the house would be ours.” The partner pulls out a recent notarized will that relies on the new law. Legally, she’s in a stronger position than she would have been last year. Emotionally, nobody feels they are “winning”. They just feel that the rules silently shifted while they weren’t looking.
Lawmakers say the February reform was meant to loosen a system that felt frozen in another era. The old model assumed a married couple, lifelong, with children of that same union. That’s no longer the default. So the law now gives more room to favor a surviving spouse or long-term partner, to protect them from being forced out of their home when one partner dies.
At the same time, the children’s “reserved share” is recalibrated so that high-value assets, like a family business or main residence, can be transmitted with less risk of being broken up. **The spirit is flexibility**, but flexibility always has a loser.
Because for each extra percentage you can direct to a partner, an association, or a sibling, there’s a child, a parent, or a co‑heir who suddenly receives less than they thought was “their right”.
How families can prepare before the law decides for them
The most concrete move today is brutally simple: pull out your old will or succession plan and read it as if you were a stranger. Ask one question: “With the February rules, is this still what I want?” Then, book a short appointment with a notary or estate lawyer and walk them through your specific situation: children from different relationships, an unmarried partner, a business, property abroad, digital assets.
One practical gesture can change everything: specifying who keeps the main home, and for how long.
Under the new law, you can now fine-tune things more than before, especially to protect a long-term partner while still reserving a future share for children. That requires clear wording, not vague promises over Sunday lunch.
A trap many families fall into is waiting for “the right moment” to talk about death and inheritance. Then a hospital stay arrives, and nobody feels ready. We’ve all been there, that moment when everyone knows the subject is on the table, and yet everyone reaches for their phone instead.
Let’s be honest: nobody really updates their inheritance plans every single year. That’s why the February reform is catching so many people off guard.
If you’re a parent, the biggest mistake is thinking “my children get along, they’ll sort it out”. They might, but money puts pressure on even the healthiest relationships. If you’re a partner outside marriage, the mistake is assuming “we live together, I’m protected”. The reform improves your chances, *but only if the documents match the new legal reality*.
The professionals who see the human fallout are blunt: “The new law gives families tools. But tools without conversation just create sharper conflicts,” one notary confided. “Since February, I’ve seen siblings stop speaking over misunderstandings that could have been avoided with a one‑hour family meeting last year.”
- List what exists today
Property, savings, life insurance, business shares, digital assets. Write it down, even roughly. - Identify who is actually in your life
Spouse, ex‑spouse, cohabiting partner, step‑children, dependent parents. The law now “sees” them differently. - Check your old documents
Any will or marriage contract drafted before the reform might give a different result than you think under the new rules. - Talk openly once, not endlessly
One clear conversation with key heirs can prevent years of resentment. - Get one professional opinion
A short legal consultation now often costs less than one hour of lawyer time during a family dispute later.
Beyond percentages: what this new law really changes in families
This new inheritance law doesn’t just move numbers on a spreadsheet. It changes who feels legitimate, who feels recognized, who feels erased. A second spouse who used to fear being pushed out of the family home now has more legal backing to stay. An adult child who always assumed an equal slice may suddenly discover that a portion has been legally directed elsewhere.
The reform also quietly brings digital life into the equation. Crypto wallets, online investment apps, monetized social media accounts, even domain names — these are now more systematically considered assets that can be allocated, taxed, or disputed. For younger heirs, this is where real value often lies. For older heirs, it can feel like trying to read a language they never learned.
5 cylinders, 240 hp and 16,000 rpm: this engine is Europe’s last hope of keeping petrol alive
This law will age with us. It will meet us again at a bedside, in a corridor of a courthouse, in a kitchen where someone whispers, “What would they have wanted?” The text won’t answer that. Families still have to.
| Key point | Detail | Value for the reader |
|---|---|---|
| New balance between heirs | Children’s guaranteed share is adjusted, with more leeway to favor spouses or partners in some cases | Helps you see if your current wishes still match what the law will actually do with your estate |
| Protection of the surviving partner | Expanded options in wills and contracts to secure housing rights and income for the person you live with | Reduces the risk of a partner being forced to sell or leave the family home after a death |
| Modern assets included | Digital portfolios, foreign property and new forms of income are more clearly integrated into succession rules | Encourages you to list and transmit all assets, not just the house and the bank account |
FAQ:
- Question 1Does the new law automatically change existing wills made before February?
- Answer 1No, your old will still stands, but some of its effects may be interpreted differently under the updated rules, especially regarding shares between heirs and protection of a surviving partner. A quick review with a professional is strongly recommended.
- Question 2Are children still guaranteed a reserved share of the inheritance?
- Answer 2Yes, children continue to benefit from a reserved portion, but the calculation and flexibility around the “available” share have evolved. This allows a bit more room to favor a spouse, partner or specific heir without completely sidelining the others.
- Question 3What changes for unmarried partners under the new rules?
- Answer 3Unmarried partners still have fewer automatic rights than spouses, yet the new framework gives more possibilities through wills and contracts to protect them, for example via rights to use the home or specific bequests aligned with the updated law.
- Question 4Does the reform affect taxes on inheritance?
- Answer 4Some tax thresholds and methods of valuation have been adjusted, especially for certain assets and for distant relatives. The tax impact depends a lot on your exact situation, the value of the estate and the family links between heirs.
- Question 5Should I talk to my family about these changes, or is it better to avoid conflicts?
- Answer 5A single, honest conversation usually prevents worse conflicts later. You don’t have to share every number, but explaining your intentions and the logic behind them, in light of the new law, often reduces surprises and feelings of injustice when the time comes.
