Homeownership is a key tool for building wealth and financial stability. But heirs’ property, which occurs when multiple descendants own a property without a clear title, is an unstable form of ownership susceptible to forced sales that can result in property and wealth loss.

The Uniform Partition of Heirs’ Property Act (UPHPA), which has passed in 26 states and has been introduced in 5 others, was designed to address the adverse outcomes heirs’ property owners can face. But more work remains to ensure that homeownership can be preserved. Join us as we discuss the conditions that gave rise to the UPHPA and its impact on forced property sales among heirs’ property owners.

Opening Remarks

• Janneke Ratcliffe, Vice President, Housing and Communities Division, Urban Institute
• Olivia Barrow Strauss, Vice President of Neighborhood Development, JPMorganChase

Keynote

• Thomas Mitchell, Professor and Director, Initiative on Land, Housing & Property Rights, Boston College Law School

Panel 1: Background and Impact of the UPHPA in Georgia

• Ashley Edwards, Founder, AAA Probate Resources
• Whitney Knox Lee, Founder and Managing Attorney, Wills for the People LLC; Equity and Access Consultant
• Sarah Mancini, Managing Director of Advocacy, National Consumer Law Center
• Sarah Stein, Senior Adviser for Community and Economic Development, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta (moderator)

Research Fireside Chat

• Ryan Thomson, Associate Professor, Auburn University
• Michael Neal, Senior Fellow and Practice Area Lead, Housing Finance Policy Center, Urban Institute (moderator)

Panel 2: Understanding the Impact of UPHPA in Other Geographic Contexts

• Jacy Fisher, Partner, Gregory Varner & Associates
• K. Scott Kohanowski, General Counsel, Center for New York City Neighborhoods
• Francine Miller, Senior Staff Attorney and Adjunct Faculty, Center for Agriculture and Food Systems, Vermont Law and Graduate School
• Tammy Thompson, President and Chief Executive Officer, Catapult Greater Pittsburgh
• Olivia Barrow Strauss, Vice President of Neighborhood Development, JPMorganChase (moderator)

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This event is made possible with support from JPMorganChase. We are grateful to them and to all our funders, who make research like this possible. The views expressed are those of the authors and should not be attributed to the Urban Institute, its trustees, or its funders, including JPMorganChase. Funders do not determine research findings or the insights and recommendations of Urban experts or the underlying methodology. For more on Urban’s funding policies, go to urban.org/about/organizational-principles.