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Heir

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My mother had a future protection mandate drafted by her notary and appointed me as the agent. Unfortunately, she passed away before the mandate was activated. I am her sole heir. Can I use this mandate to retrieve funds (15,000 euros) ...

... from her bank accounts? No. The future protection mandate ceases to apply upon the death of the person to be protected (article 483 2° of the Civil Code). You should consult a notary to establish a certificate of heirship that will allow you to recover your mother's liquid assets…
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I am sole legatee in an estate with no children or spouse. The notary says he will send a copy of the holographic will to the court registry. Is that necessary?

Yes. When the will is handwritten and there is no protected heir (child or surviving spouse), the notary must draw up a report of opening and description. Within one month he must send it, with a copy of the will, to the court registry so that “ any interested party…
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My spouse passed away, and we did not have a joint will. Since he had children from a previous marriage, I receive 1/4 of his estate. Can I accept only part of his inheritance?

No. The right of the surviving spouse to limit their acceptance to certain assets (known as "cantonment") is only legally possible if there is a joint will between spouses (Article 1094-3 of the Civil Code). In the absence of such a provision, you can only accept or renounce the entire…
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My mother has passed away. We found a video in which she stated that she is leaving all her belongings to my brother's children. Is this will valid ?

No. For a will to be valid, it must take one of the forms provided for by Article 969 of the Civil Code: holographic, authentic, or mystic, all of which require a written document. A will made on video is therefore null and void and cannot produce any effects (Reply…
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My spouse has passed away. He owned the apartment where we were living at the time of his death, which he bought before our marriage. I have a ¼ share of his estate. I want to become the owner, but his children do not agree. Can they prevent it?

No. The surviving spouse who co-owns the deceased's property can request the preferential allocation of the main residence if it was already their home at the time of death (Article 831-2, 1° Civil Code). If requested, this allocation is automatic and binding on the other co-owners (Article 831-3 Civil Code).
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