In 2021, the number of registered wills in our country increased by 11.2 percent compared to 2020. The increase for health care powers of attorney was 15.8 percent. This is evident from the family barometer that the Federation of the Notarial profession will publish on Wednesday.
In Belgium, 68,605 wills were registered last year. The majority in Flanders (47,048). The increase (+14 percent) was also greatest there. 17,302 wills were registered in Wallonia and 4,255 in Brussels, representing an increase of 5.3 and 6.8 percent respectively.
“We notice that more and more people want to retain control over what happens to their inheritance. A will remains the ideal instrument for this. Your marriage partner or your children are entitled to a part of your inheritance, you cannot disinherit them. you are free to leave the rest to others. If you have not drawn up a will, your inheritance will be divided according to the existing legislation”, notary Joni Soutaer, spokeswoman for Notaris.be, commented on the trend. By way of comparison: in 2019, 43,815 wills were concluded in Flanders.
Also care proxies on the rise
The number of healthcare proxies is also on the rise. Last year, 68,329 (+15.8 percent) of these were concluded in our country, of which 60,554 in Flanders (+15.4 percent). In a care power of attorney, someone can indicate when or under what conditions a designated person(s) – often the partner or the child(ren) – pays your invoices, is allowed to sell or rent out your home, etc. In Wallonia, 5,081 care powers of attorney were issued last year (+22 .1 percent), in Brussels the notaries counted 2,694 new health care proxies (+14.8 percent).
“People are even more concerned with their health than before. Thanks to a healthcare power of attorney, you can protect yourself if an illness or accident means that you are no longer able to manage your assets yourself,” says notary Joni Soutaer.
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