Low house prices and the economic crisis mean that many Dutch people are dying in debt and families are increasingly refusing to accept their inheritance, the Volkskrant reports on Thursday.

Rotterdam family lawyer Vic van Heeswijk estimates almost one in five houses which are sold at auction have been put up for sale because no family member wants the inheritance.

‘It used to be that when someone died, there was usually enough money tied up in their property to cover any debts, but that is not the case now because of the continuing fall in house prices,’ Nora van Oostrom from the notaries’ association KNB told the paper.

This makes it especially important to be aware of the likely situation if a family member dies. Simply by taking a photograph album out of the house means you have technically accepted the inheritance, the paper says.

‘I have seen situations where family members have been forced to reach a deal with a debt collection agency after someone has died,’ Amsterdam property lawyer Toine Jager told the paper. ‘That is very sad.’