text: my daughter 29 wonders if she is responsible for her deceased father's bills.? she took care of things for him while he was in the nursing home and could not take care of his own business. she was not court appointed. as a spouse, child or other relative of a deceased person you have a choice of whether to inherit or decline to inherit the estate of the person. this applies to the sum total of their assets and liabilities. therefore you are not liable for any unpaid bills as long as you're not trying to inherit any possessions either. you do become liable for any left over debts if you also seek to inherit the assets.