Elderly landlady in Limburg town bequeathed properties to her tenants

Several tenants in Vaals, Limburg, were shocked to find out that their landlady, who died in February, had left their homes to them in her will. The 87-year-old woman had no direct relatives and decided to bequeath several of her properties to the tenants living in them, one of the new homeowners told the Telegraaf.

Bram Brekelmans, a 33-year-old teaching assistant and single father of two, still can’t believe it, he told the newspaper. “I met her once. So we didn’t really know each other at all. And then to be given a house as a gift… That there are such nice people in this day and age, when you have to be harsh to get ahead, is heartwarming.”

His semi-detached home has a market value of at least 255,000 euros, Brekelmans said. In the tight housing market, it would probably sell for up to 290,000 euros. “All I have to pay is 75,000 euros in inheritance tax. That means I actually received 200,000 euros. Isn’t that wonderful?” He converted the inheritance tax into a modest mortgage. He is happiest about the certainty his landlady’s gift provided to his two kids, ages 5 and 7.

Such a special inheritance does not come around often, Marije de Rooij-Stevenhaagen, an inheritance mediator at AllesoverErven.nl, told the newspaper. She knows of one similar case in which a woman in Zeeland left the land she leased to her tenants after her death. “She wanted her tenants to have it. She had a much stronger bond with them than with her family. So it happens, but certainly not often.”

“In general, it is the case that someone can decide for themselves where the inheritance goes,” De Rooij-Stevenhaagen said. Only children are entitled to at least half of the normal inheritance and can object if they inherit less than that. As far as is known, the Vaals woman did not have any children. “If you do not have children, you can determine your entire inheritance yourself. Any siblings are not entitled to a minimum share.”