Yes. But you can also get on the hook for it. For example, there are laws in my state for small estates. It lets the family take over assets like a checking account without going through probate that often takes over a year. But if you do so you also take on any debt, even if you don’t know about it. It is better to just go through probate.

It is also why you should not pay the funeral expenses for someone that dies.

I suppose it depends on the country, although I’d assume so. I’m from a very poor background, but both of my parents became landlords through being from a generation where purchasing housing was still plausible. I suspect they will outlive me with the stress of my life combined with inborn conditions wrecking my body anyway. I hate my debt so much. :(

Generally, yes, but it’s all or nothing. So you can refuse inheritance of debt but you won’t get anything else then, either.

i would hope the debt doesn’t pass-down. whatever the estate(s) can pay, gets paid. then that’s it, and any remaining gets written-off.

At one point the VA assured me that a veteran’s medical debt is to the government and is not released simply because the veteran passed away.

Even things like the cable bill took months to resolve because we didn’t want to pay for services that weren’t needed after death. (It’s hard to find and cancel every account for someone who died and didn’t keep track of things.)