Your landlord has died: who should receive the rent?

A landlord’s death does not mean you can simply stop paying rent or that the first relative contacting you can collect the entire amount. Establish who holds the claim and who is authorised to receive payment.

Paying the correct recipient

Article 75 of the Obligations and Contracts Act addresses payment to the creditor or an authorised recipient. An heirs certificate is an important starting point, but a will, renunciation or succession dispute may require more. One heir does not automatically represent all others in collecting every payment.

Request joint written instructions supported by authority, or verified information about the relevant shares. A telephone request to change bank accounts provides insufficient protection. Record the period and purpose of each payment, and clarify responsibility for the deposit when the lease ends.

If necessary cooperation is missing

Keep the funds available and document a genuine offer to pay. This alone does not necessarily discharge the debt. Where the creditor is in default, Articles 95–97 provide specific mechanisms, including depositing money with a bank at the place of performance. Keeping money in your personal savings account is not equivalent, and uncertainty about heirs does not automatically establish creditor default.

Competing payment demands require individual assessment before transfer, to avoid paying an unauthorised person and later paying the actual creditor again.