Can I still renounce an inheritance if debts have already been discovered?

Don't panic - you can still disclaim the inheritance even if debts are already known! In fact, that's often exactly why people do it. But you need to hurry, because the deadline is only 6 weeks from when you're notified of the death. Go to the probate court and formally file that you're disclaiming - then you're off the hook and won't have to pay any debts!

The six-week deadline is tough, I get that - but the key point is: you can disclaim the inheritance even if you already know about the debts. That's actually pretty often the reason people do it. But you really need to hurry, because this deadline starts running from the moment you find out about the death. If you miss it, you're fully liable for everything the deceased person owed - no matter how much that is.

Important: you need a notary or have to go to court to declare it officially. An email or a letter won't cut it. Some people think if they just do nothing and don't accept the inheritance, it goes away - but that's wrong. Once the deadline passes and you've done nothing, you've automatically inherited. So seriously: call a notary right away or go to the local court in your area. They can also tell you whether it even makes sense to disclaim or if the estate might actually be positive.

The debts don't have to be bigger than the estate - often it's just that someone was broke and you don't want to be on the hook for their debts. That's completely legitimate and exactly what the option to disclaim is there for.