01
The information vacuum on day one
You accept the office knowing that accounts, contracts, credentials and policies exist somewhere. Where exactly often emerges only after weeks of enquiries, bank statements and chance findings.
For professionals
You take on the office without knowing the estate
As an executor, estate lawyer, tax advisor or notary you make the first decisions before you know what the estate even contains. Under § 2219 BGB you are personally liable for breaches of duty — with your own assets, not just the estate. A documented estate changes exactly that starting position.
The problem you know
02
§ 2219 BGB — personal liability
As a *Testamentsvollstrecker* (executor) you are personally liable for culpable breaches of duty. An incomplete estate inventory is not a comfort issue for you, it is a liability risk you do not control.
03
Remuneration that ignores the effort
Your fee under § 2221 BGB usually follows the value of the estate, not the number of hours. A disorganised estate costs you time without any compensation.
What changes
What a documented estate means for your work
A complete inventory from day one
Accounts, contracts, insurance policies, property and digital assets in one place, documented by the person who knew the estate best.
Traceable provenance
Every entry carries a date — the basis for an inventory under § 2215 BGB that survives scrutiny.
Fewer questions to the heirs
What is already documented no longer has to be extracted from a grieving family.
Clean handover of access
The credentials needed for administration arrive structured, instead of scattered across notes and inboxes.
Documentation as liability protection
A fully documented starting position protects you in a dispute — and speeds up the accounting duty under § 2218 BGB.
A conversation you can have at the will stage
If you are named as executor in the will, you can push for the estate to be documented while there is still time.
Frequently asked questions
Talk to us
No signup, no contract — just a short conversation about where a documented estate would change your work as an executor, lawyer, tax advisor or notary.
More on the legal basis of the office in the guide to executors and on how a community of heirs arises in the guide to the Erbengemeinschaft.