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Long-awaited revisions to Greece’s inheritance law are designed to reduce the fragmentation of inherited property and give heirs more ways to resolve disputes without going to court, addressing a longstanding problem that has left thousands of properties in every corner of the country unused or difficult to develop.

Under Greek law for decades, an undivided share represents a percentage of the entire property rather than a specific physical section. Thus, if three siblings each own one-third of a 900-square-meter plot, this does not automatically give each one a particular and clearly delimitated 300-square-meter section within the entire plot. Nor does long-term occupation or construction on a particular part of the property establish exclusive ownership by itself.

The problem is common with inherited residences and agricultural land. One heir may live in the family property while the others have no access but continue paying property taxes, repairs and other expenses. Elsewhere, one beneficiary may want to sell, another may want to lease the property and another to leave the property untouched.

The new direction in inheritance law seeks to reduce this fragmentation. Where legal requirements are met, monetary compensation for a beneficiary may be favored over creating another ownership arrangement in the same property. The property’s actual value and potential uses, therefore, become increasingly important when determining how an inheritance should be divided.

Before any division, heirs should establish what they own and what can legally and technically be done with the property. A surveyor or civil engineer should check its boundaries and actual area, title deeds, land registry records, building permits, possible unauthorized construction, building rights, access to public roads and applicable planning restrictions.

For out-of-zoning or beyond town planning land, additional checks may concern land uses, forest status, archaeological restrictions and other legal or planning constraints. The key question is whether a division would produce parcels that can legally host construction and are economically viable.

A division that appears equal in square meters can be highly unequal in practice if one parcel contains a building, has better access or retains greater development potential. A technical report can provide the basis for an out-of-court settlement and establish concrete alternatives.

Depending on the circumstances, these can include an agreed physical division, the purchase of the other beneficiaries’ shares by one heir, financial equalization, a joint sale and distribution of the proceeds, or an arrangement in which different heirs receive different properties of equivalent value.

Special issues arise when a house has already been built on undivided land. Its existence and use do not automatically make the surrounding land exclusively owned by the person who built it. Titles, construction permits, the building’s legal status and any existing property arrangements must be examined separately. In certain cases involving out-of-plan land where buildings existed by July 28, 2011, a special regime may permit the establishment of vertical ownership, subject to specific legal and technical requirements.

If an agreement remains impossible, judicial partition is available under applicable legal conditions. The court examines whether the property can be divided without substantially reducing its value. If lawful and economically viable physical division is impossible, the process can ultimately lead to a sale by auction and distribution of the proceeds according to ownership shares.

The emphasis is therefore on preparation before often costly and time-consuming litigation. A complete technical and legal assessment can help heirs understand the property’s actual value and possibilities, identify workable solutions and prevent an asset from remaining unused and losing value as it passes to successive generations.