In New York City and across the United States — where housing affordability is tight, legal systems are complex, and historic inequities still linger — owning a home doesn’t guarantee keeping it. For thousands of New Yorkers, a quiet but devastating issue threatens their ability to preserve their homes and pass them down to future generations: heirs property.
Heirs property, also known as “tangled title,” often occurs when a homeowner dies without a valid will or estate plan and ownership passes informally to multiple heirs. Without a clear title, the surviving family members cannot obtain mortgage loans for critical home repairs and other necessities or qualify for public benefits, like property tax exemptions or disaster relief.
Heirs property also leaves families vulnerable to predatory investors who force partition sales, tax and mortgage defaults, and ultimately, homeownership loss. It’s a legal limbo that undermines the very promise of homeownership as a foundation for stability and as a vehicle for building wealth that can pass on to future generations.
Currently, it is estimated that there are more than 444,170 heirs property parcels in the United States, totaling 9 million acres valued at more than $41 billion. In New York, this issue is especially prevalent in historically Black neighborhoods, like Bed-Stuy and Crown Heights in Central Brooklyn, Harlem, and Jamaica, Queens.
Given the significant impact of heirs property challenges, the public and private sectors must work together to ensure homeowners across New York City can access the resources they need to navigate these challenges — or avoid them altogether — including legal and estate planning services, public resources and affordable loans.
At JPMorganChase, we understand the power of homeownership to create and preserve generational wealth. That’s why we support nonprofit organizations offering New Yorkers innovative financial solutions, including those that address heirs property, while raising awareness about the issue and partnering with local nonprofits on workshops for homeowners navigating heirs property challenges.
For example, we are helping the Center for New York City Neighborhoods (CNYCN) design a charitable lending program, a toolkit and other resources to help New Yorkers clear and consolidate title, plan estates, and otherwise protect homes.
At the same time, we’ve teamed up with the Abode Alliance (formerly known as the New York Mortgage Coalition) and local leaders across the five boroughs, Westchester and Long Island to launch the “Securing Your Legacy” tour, a community-based initiative to raise awareness about strategies and resources that help build and protect generational wealth.
Access to legal support, estate planning tools, and community-based education are important — but policy changes are critical to safeguarding against heirs property issues.
New York has become a national leader in advancing heirs property protections by enacting a strengthened version of the Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act (UPHPA) in 2019, and by passing the Heirs Property Protection and Deed Theft Prevention Act of 2024, which includes a low-cost estate planning tool: transfer-on-death deeds.
At the federal level, the Heirs’ Estate Inheritance Resolution and Succession (HEIRS) Act was introduced in 2024 and, if enacted, would offer similar protections nationwide and provide a sustainable funding source to begin addressing heirs property challenges at scale. These policy changes help equip homeowners with the tools necessary to stay and thrive in their homes, securing their legacies for generations.
Homeownership has long been seen as the cornerstone of the American Dream and the creation of generational wealth — and there’s more work to do to make sure that the family home is a gift to future generations, not a burden or a heartbreak.
Our message to New Yorkers, however, is simple: don’t leave your legacy to chance. As the public and private sectors continue to work on more lasting solutions, you can start formalizing your estate plan and establishing clear title to your home today. Encourage your family and neighbors to do the same.
- Attend a Securing Your Legacy Workshop with the Abode Alliance.
- Connect with CNYCN to prepare your estate plan or get help resolving title.
- Learn more about how JPMorganChase helps to address heirs property challenges.
Estate planning and clearing title to your home can be daunting and complex, but you don’t have to figure it out alone. Homeownership is part of your legacy. Let’s make sure it stays that way.
Villegas leads JPMorganChase’s Global Philanthropy work on community development and housing affordability in New York City. Kohanowski is general counsel at the Center for New York City Neighborhoods.
