New GSU law clinic will help families protect inherited property

A new legal clinic at Georgia State University will offer free assistance to qualifying property owners facing "heirs’ property" problems—a frequently overlooked threat to family homes and generational wealth.

Heirs’ property issues commonly develop when someone dies without a will, trust or estate plan. A home or parcel of land may then pass informally to several relatives. Over generations, the number of people holding an ownership interest can multiply, while the deed and other records may still list a deceased relative.

That lack of clear title can make it difficult to sell or improve a home, obtain a mortgage, qualify for repair programs or receive federal disaster assistance. It can also leave families vulnerable to tax sales, forced partition sales, and investors seeking to acquire property for less than its potential market value.

The FHLBank Atlanta Heirs’ Property Law Clinic will operate through Georgia State University College of Law. Law students, supervised by licensed attorneys, will help low- and moderate-income families with estate planning and, as the program expands, inherited-property ownership issues.

The problem is especially common among families with limited financial resources. A Harris Poll survey commissioned by the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta found that about 60% of homeowners with household incomes below $50,000 had no will, trust or estate plan.

Sarah Stein, an assistant clinical professor at Georgia State and director of the new clinic, described heirs’ property as a leading contributor to Black land loss across the South.

In Atlanta, Stein said, families with unclear ownership can face pressure from developers or investors to sell—even when they would prefer to keep the home. Rising property taxes and the cost of maintaining an older house can make a quick sale appear to be the family’s only choice.

The Georgia State clinic is supported by an initial $500,000 investment from FHLBank Atlanta, with $1.5 million anticipated over three years. It expects to begin offering estate-planning services to clients in 2027 while developing partnerships and referral networks across Atlanta and Georgia.