Inheritance Property Distribution in Ghana
There are two (2) main methods of inheritance property distribution in Ghana. Through a Last Will & Testament and in accordance with the intestate succession law, PNDCLaw 111.
You can purchase a copy of the PNDCLaw 111 here.
This post will only explain the distribution structure under PNDCLaw 111 and the persons who are entitled to inherit. Only the Spouse, Child, Parent and Extended Family have an automatic right to share in the estate of a deceased. All other persons will be required to prove their right to share in the estate.
Household Chattels
Household chattel refers to personal property within a house that is movable and not fixed to the property. This can include items like furniture, appliances, electronics, clothing, jewellery, and other personal belongings. Essentially, it’s the stuff you can take with you when you move houses, as opposed to fixtures like sinks or built-in cabinets that stay with the property.
The PNDCLaw provides that all the household chattel of the intestate automatically belong to the surviving spouse(s) and child(ren) absolutely.
A Single House
Where the deceased left only one house, then it belongs to the surviving spouse or child or both of them. This means where there is only one house left by the deceased, if there is a spouse and no child, then it belongs to the spouse. If there is a child and no spouse, then it is for the child and where there is both spouse and child, then it is for both of them.
Where the deceased left more than one house, then the spouse or child or both of them may choose one of the houses for themselves before the rest will be shared. If they cannot agree on which one of the houses to choose, then the Administrator can bring the dispute to the Court and the Court will make that choice for them.
After the single house has been selected by the spouse and/or child, the rest of the estate is described as the “Residue”.
Spouse and Children
Only the legally married wife or husband of the deceased will be recognized under PNDCL 111 as a Surviving Spouse. Divorcees, Girlfriends, Concubines, Side Chicks, Boy Toys etc., are all excluded.
The Law will recognize all the biological children of the deceased as Surviving Children. The Law will also recognize all the legally adopted children of the deceased as Surviving Children. Nephews, Nieces, Cousins etc. are all excluded unless they were legally adopted by the deceased.
The Surviving Spouse and Children of the deceased are jointly entitled to 75% of the properties (18.75% and 56.25% respectively). The remaining 25% goes to the Surviving Parents and Extended Family (12.5% and 12.5%).
Spouse Only
Where the deceased has no Children but dies leaving a Spouse(s), the Spouse will be entitled to 50% of the properties and the remaining 50% shared between the Parent and Extended Family (25% and 25% respectively).
Child Only
If the deceased is survived by a Child(ren) but no Surviving Spouse(s) then the Child(ren) is entitled to 75% of the properties and the remaining 25% goes to the Parents and Extended Family (12.5% and 12.5% respectively).
Parents Only
The biological parents of the deceased person are the Surviving Parents. However, the legal adoptive Parents of the deceased will also be recognized as Surviving Parents.
If the deceased person has no Spouse or Children, then the Surviving Parents, if any, will be entitled to 75% of the properties and the remaining 25% will go to the Extended Family.
Where There are No Surviving Parents
The distributions are in four parts, Spouse, Children, Parents and family.
The Spouse and Children form one block and the parents and family form another block.
The property always stays within the block, with the larger portion given to the children, then the spouse before the parents and the family.
So if there are no children for instance, you will notice the PNDCLaw 111 gives the spouse 50% and then the parents 25% and family 25%.
if there are no parents, the law will give that portion to the family so they get 25% instead of the original 12.5%.
No Surviving Relatives
If the deceased has no Spouse, Child, Parent or Extended Family member, then the properties will go to the government. The Administrator General of Ghana is the Public Officer designated to deal with such properties.
Grandchildren and Other Relatives
Grandchildren will only qualify if their parent (surviving child of the grandparent) predeceased the grandparent and the grandchildren were dependent on the grandparent during the grandparent’s lifetime. (i.e. Grandchildren were known by the deceased grandparent and if the deceased grandparent was taking care of them or maintaining them).
ILLUSTRATION – A: Kofi has a daughter Abena, and Abena has a son Kwame. Kofi is the grandparent, Abena is the parent and Kwame is the grandchild. Abena passed away in 1999, Kofi took care of Kwame from childhood until Kofi passed away intestate in 2005. Kwame will inherit Kofi. He will get the portion of the estate that would have gone to Abena if Abena were alive at the time that Kofi died.
ILLUSTRATION – B: Kofi has a daughter Abena, and Abena has a son Kwame. Kofi is the grandparent, Abena is the parent and Kwame is the grandchild. Kofi passed away intestate in 2005. Abena is alive and Kwame is also alive. Only Abena will get her portion as a surviving daughter of Kofi. Kwame will not qualify to inherit Kofi.
Other relatives who are not part of the qualified persons are not entitled to any share in the properties of the deceased.
Small Estates
PNDCLaw considers any estate where the total value of the residue is less than ₵10million (GHc1000). Small estates are given to the surviving spouse or child or both of them.
Criminal Offences Under PNDCLaw 111
The following criminal offences are punishable by fine, imprisonment or both.
Intermeddling
It is a criminal offence to handle or deal with the property of a deceased person without first obtaining Letters of Administration (where there is no Will) or Probate (where there is a Will).
It is also a criminal offence to interfere with the right of the spouse and/or children or any beneficiary to enjoy the benefits of the property that has been lawfully vested in them or granted to them by law.
Ejecting Spouse/Child From Matrimonial Home
It is a criminal offence to eject a surviving spouse and/or child from their matrimonial home in which they lived with the deceased during their lifetime. A few reasonable exceptions are allowed.
- If the home is rented then the Landlord may only eject them by obtaining a Court Order
- If the home is a family property then the family may only eject them after six months from the date of death of the deceased
- If the home is public housing/property then they may only be ejected after three months from the date of death of the deceased
Apart from these exceptions, no one has the right to eject a spouse and/or child from the matrimonial home before the distribution of the estate.
152 responses
My Uncle who was a Chief died intestate. Now even before the properties are distributed, one of his Sons is claiming that the Father gifted to seven plots of land, a vehicle registered in his name and is still claiming portion of what is left to be distributed among the remaining five. How do we determine the authenticity of the documents covering the gifted properties. Is he still qualified to benefit from the remaining properties?
Hi,
my parents were married for over 30 years. My dad evicted my mum from the house they’ve built, leaving my mum no choice than to rent a house. My dad remarried but couldn’t live in the house with his new wife and was renting. He ended up renting out the house to people. My dad has passed away and I would like to know if my mum is still entitled to her fair share of the house, since they built it together and lived in it over 10 years before my dad evicted her?
Hello Yvonne, Thanks for reaching out to us. The law states that property acquired during marriage is marital property. Each spouse is entitled to a share of marital property in accordance with the proportion of their contribution towards acquiring that property. So upon a death intestate, the spouse may be entitled to take out their share of the marital property before the rest will be shared under Inheritance Law. I strongly recommend you engage a lawyer for all legal actions.
Please, in a case where the father has a first child with a different woman and have 3 with a different woman who is not a legal wife and he dies, how is the properties shared. Thank you
Hello Gifty,
The surviving children are the biological or legally adopted children of the deceased.
Only the legally married wife or husband of the deceased will be recognized under PNDCL 111 as a Surviving Spouse.
The Surviving Spouse and Children of the deceased are jointly entitled to 75% of the properties (18.75% and 56.25% respectively). The remaining 25% goes to the Surviving Parents and Extended Family (12.5% and 12.5%).
All the biological or adopted children will equally share the 56.25% and the legal spouse or spouses will equally share the 18.75%. If the person was not legally married, then they are not a spouse
My dad is 80years and remarrying. Can his wife be awarded anything in his death if he has willed all his property already to his children?
Hello Nana Kwaku,
If there is a valid Will, then the Executors are required to share the property in accordance with the Will. This means that those mentioned in the Will are going to get what they have been given in the WIll. An underage school going child of the testator, or a disabled dependent of the testator may apply to the COurt for special provision under the WIll and may or may not be granted. However, if there is no Will, then the PNDCLaw 111 will be applied, in that situation, the spouse, children, parent and family will get their shares.
If the intestate left two houses and four cars and left behind six children with a spouse, how will the properties be shared
Hello Emmanuel,
Under PNDCLAW 111, the matrimonial home goes to the spouse and children, the rest of the estate is as follows, spouse-20%, children – 75%, customary law – 25%. You can read our article on the subject or watch our youtube video for more details.
Hello if a deceased left one house and a plot of land in ghana and has another house in abroad but died without a will and has three children and spouse and also surviving parent, how is his property going to be distributed?
Hello Ameyaw, Thanks for reaching out to us. For the purposes of inheritance, Property in Ghana is dealt with under the laws of Ghana and property abroad is dealt with in accordance with the law of the place where the property is located. After Letters of Administration has been granted, the Administrator will be required to distribute the estate in accordance with PNDCLaw 111.