(a) Rights of claimants against personal representatives.--A personal representative, at his own risk and without the filing, audit or confirmation of his account, may distribute real or personal property and such distribution shall be without liability to any claimant against the decedent, unless the claim of such claimant is known to the personal representative within one year after the first complete advertisement of the grant of letters to such personal representative or thereafter but prior to such distribution.

(b) Rights of claimants against distributed property.--

(1) Personal property.--No claimant shall have any claim against personal property distributed by a personal representative at his own risk pursuant to subsection (a), unless the claim of such claimant is known to the personal representative within one year after the first complete advertisement of the grant of letters or thereafter but prior to such distribution.

(2) Real property.--No claimant shall have any claim against real property conveyed by a personal representative in distribution at his own risk pursuant to subsection (a) hereof, unless such claimant, within one year after the decedent's death, files a written notice of his claim with the clerk. Such claim against real property shall expire at the end of five years after the decedent's death, unless within that time the personal representative files an account or the claimant files a petition to compel an accounting.

(3) Liens and charges existing at death.--Nothing in this section shall be construed as affecting any lien or charge which existed at the time of the decedent's death on his real or personal property.

(b.1) Limitation on rights of claimants.--A personal representative may make written demand by mail or delivery to any person who may have a claim but who has not previously given written notice of his claim to the personal representative. If the personal representative's demand requests the person to give written notice of his claim within 60 days from the mailing or delivery of the demand or within one year from the first complete advertisement of the grant of letters, whichever is later, and the person fails to do so, the person shall not have any rights with respect to such claim under subsection (a) or (b)(1) and shall not have any right on account of such claim to receive notice of the filing of the personal representative's account and of its call for audit or confirmation. The personal representative shall not be liable to any such person or to any beneficiary, heir or next of kin or creditor of the estate for making or failing to make demand under this subsection.

(c) Record of risk distributions.--The personal representative may file with the clerk receipts, releases and refunding agreements which he may have received from persons to whom he has made a risk distribution, or from other parties in interest. Receipts, releases and refunding agreements so filed shall be indexed under the name of the estate. Their acceptance shall not be construed as court approval of any act of administration or distribution therein reflected.

(July 9, 1976, P.L.551, No.135, eff. imd.; Dec. 16, 1992, P.L.1163, No.152, eff. imd.)

1992 Amendment. Act 152 amended subsecs. (a) and (b)(1) and added subsec. (b.1).

1976 Amendment. Act 135 added subsec. (c).

Cross References. Section 3532 is referred to in sections 3503, 5163, 5533, 7792 of this title.