Steve’s ¹home was rich in family history. His grandparents had worked hard to afford a piece of property to call their own and were proud years later when they’d paid off their mortgage. Steve had grown up in the home with his parents and now that he was a parent, he couldn’t wait to hand it down to his children.  

One day Steve noticed a leak in the ceiling. Steve didn’t make a lot of money and worried that the problem could get worse, so he reached out to a nonprofit organization that provided free home repairs. When a staff member from the organization asked for the deed ²to the home and if his name was on it, Steve was surprised. His name wasn’t on the deed, and neither were his parents’. But what did that matter? His family owned the home free and clear.  

Unfortunately, even though the mortgage was paid off and Steve’s parents and then Steve had taken care of the home for two generations, without their names on the deed, they’d never actually owned it. Because his grandparents had never had access to affordable estate planning³ services, they’d never created a will designating who would get the home when they died, and so when they passed, the home fell into ownership limbo. 

In legal terms, Steve didn’t have title ⁴to the home, and without proof of ownership, unfortunately, the nonprofit couldn’t pay for his home repairs. Tragically, the leak only got bigger, and eventually the roof caved in. Unable to pay for repairs out of his own pocket, and without any other options, Steve and his family had to abandon their home and move into a rental that was too small and too expensive.  

Steve would drive by the house sometimes, watching as it slowly collapsed, thinking about the memories he’d created there and the ones he would never get to make with his own family, and vowed if he ever purchased his own home, he would get a will made to ensure it would stay in his family. 

Steve experienced what is known as heirs property⁵, which is also called tangled title. Whatever you call it, this experience took generations of family wealth out of Steve’s hands, leaving him and his children with nothing to show for the love and the history his home had contained but family pictures and memories. 

Does this story sound familiar to you or someone you know? Is your name on your deed? Do you have a will prepared to make sure that what happened to Steve doesn’t happen to your children?  

Heirs property can be fixed through what is known as the probate process, but this can be complicated and requires a lawyer with specialized knowledge to navigate, which is expensive. But Shore Legal Access can help.  

Through an extraordinary opportunity from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta, and in partnership with Shore United Bank, until September 2026, Shore Legal Access has funding to help people facing heirs property issues keep their homes. If you make 50% or less than Maryland median income, you will get this service for free!  

This is a unique chance to preserve family wealth on the Eastern Shore, but one that won’t be around for long. If you or someone you know is at risk of losing your home because your name isn’t on the deed, reach out to Shore Legal Access today. Your legacy can’t wait.  

Photo by Kelly : https://www.pexels.com/photo/black-home-area-rug-2950003/

1. Steve and his story are not real. They were created to define and illustrate a common consequence of heirs property. ↩︎
2. A physical document showing proof of ownership of a piece of property ↩︎
3. “The process by which an individual or family arranges the transfer of assets in anticipation of death.” (Source: https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/estate_planning)
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4. The legal rights of a person to own a piece of property. The deed is the physical proof of title. ↩︎
5. A property for which ownership is unclear. In the most common scenario, the owner of record dies and a relative inherits the property but fails to record a new deed. This is also known as tangled title. ↩︎