Family land that passes down without a will — known as heirs' property — often ends up tied up in legal disputes or lost entirely when relatives can't agree on what to do with it, a problem that has disproportionately affected Black landowning families in the South. This bill would create two federal grant programs at the Department of Housing and Urban Development: one that gives states up to $30 million a year through 2036 for adopting a uniform law that makes it easier to divide or sell heirs' property fairly, and another that gives housing counseling agencies, legal aid clinics, and nonprofits up to $10 million a year through 2030 to help families clear the title and keep their homes. It would also require HUD-funded housing counselors to explain what heirs' property is and refer families to legal help. The programs prioritize services in low- and moderate-income and minority communities where heirs' property issues are most common.
Congressional Summary
Heirs Estate Inheritance Resolution and Succession Act of 2025 or the HEIRS Act of 2025This bill requires the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to provide grants to assist individuals with the legal processes associated with inheriting certain real property.Under the first program, HUD must provide grants to states that have enacted the Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act (UPHPA) (or similar state law). The UPHPA provides due process protections against forced property sales for individuals who inherit real property from a landowner without a will. Historically, state property laws have provided that recipients of such property become tenants-in-common, which permits a single tenant to exercise their right to partition and sell the property.A state or local government must use grant funds to assist residents with expenses related to establishing and documenting property ownership rights or settling a decedent's estate, including costs related toobtaining title reports, title abstracts, copies of public records, and land surveys;estate planning;heirs searches or tracing services; andrecording and filing fees, notary fees, and legal fees and expenses.Under the second program, HUD must provide grants to housing counseling agencies, legal services clinics at institutions of higher education, and qualified nonprofits. Such organizations must use grant funds to provide housing counseling, legal assistance, and financial assistance related to title clearing and home retention efforts for individuals who inherit property as tenants-in-common.
Legislative Subjects
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- House
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in House
- Action Date
- 2025-02-26
- Date Added
- 2026-07-01
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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