Making a WILL and passing property to someone

ExpatHungarian wrote:

[......I do not mean to be personal, but I find what you write here quite condescending. Sadly, my mother passed away when my brother and I were still children. She did not make a will as she died young and quite unexpectedly. It is only thanks to the Hungarian legal system that my brother and I got any inheritance, as our father did everything in his power to get hold of my mother's half of the property after she died. There is a very good reason to make sure children inherit after the death of a parent, and it has nothing to do with Hungary being some 'backward' country....

Your experience of the HU legal system was apparently positive but your situation is unusual and we know nothing about your circumstances - we have no idea of any "evil" intent by your father. And kids see things quite differently to adults and parents sometimes make wrong or odd decisions which seem rational at the time. Most parents want to help their children regardless and to any extent even if it means sacrifice.  Normally the surviving parent is the guardian for the kids and needs access to finance to cope with new situations following the death of their partner. 

The assumption in say, the UK,  is that the surviving parent will do what they need to do to make sure the kids are OK and not abandon them or leave them destitute.   The same effect as the one which is the default situation here in Hungary could be achieved by writing a will in the UK.      As many people here are English speakers, they will mostly come from common law jurisdictions and not Napoleonic/Civil Code countries.   It's not backward here, it's just very different and unfamiliar (and therefore seems strange and odd) to many expats reading these posts.

The point is that everyone, regardless of age and especially those with dependent kids, should write a will.  Moreover, the will should be updated regularly to cope with new circumstances.  And of course, any previous wills should be destroyed otherwise someone could find the wrong one.

Personally I would encourage you to continue to post here as it would be nice to hear from an expat Hungarian.

Oh, and Happy Christmas!

ExpatHungarian wrote:

klsallee wrote:

Maybe I am playing Devils Advocate here, but this is not your wife. You said 'girl friend', so not even fiancé? Who started all this issue about your property? You, or her? It just all seems odd to me. Hate to say this but people here have done more for less to get someone else's assets.

Maybe you are well meaning, but not sure whether you realize how potentially offensive it is what you write here... I am Hungarian, and it so happens that when I met my British partner years ago, I already had a British passport, good qualifications and a good job I was happy with, and he happened to be unemployed at the time. I cannot count the number of people we encountered - including all his friends and family - who suggested I was with him for his money (?) or his passport (?). It is so pathetic, just saying. Would you say the same thing if the girlfriend was British? Do you know how many British women are out there who have lots of kids from different fathers, live on benefits and are looking for a guy with money to support them? But of course, if it is an 'Eastern European' woman, it is all about money on their part - got it.

Sorry you took offense. But do note I clearly stated I was playing "Devils Advocate". There are bad meaning people everywhere. Including in Hungary. I just wanted to point this out.

And yes, I have quite a few real world, first person examples of scams people in Hungary have done to me. So I can of course suggest caution, even if you find it "offensive". Being Hungarians does not make you special, on either the "good" or "bad" scale. Just as as me being American does not make me special, either on the "good" side or the "bad" side.

But having traveled, and spent more than a little time, on five continents has brought me the world view that people are pretty much the same everywhere. There are good people in Hungary (as there are in all other places on the planet) and  there are bad people in Hungary (as there are in all other places on the planet). If you think that me suggesting to the original poster to be careful, is "offensive", well you are free to your opinion. And I am free to have my opinions (based on experience). And I will leave it at that.

It is always best to get you documented in Hungary and see a lawyer. A new civil code came out last year which is a challange even for lawyers. The legislation changes often. What worked yesterday would not be certain to work next month. Get titles registered and make a will, the latter can be changed anytime later in your lifetime. ***