Estate division and partition deed
Dividing is where families break. The partition deed turns an argument about memories and grievances into a document with numbers, and that translation is half the work.
What the partition deed does
It closes the estate. It lists assets and debts, values them, calculates each heir’s share and allocates specific assets to specific people.
Until there is a partition, the heirs jointly own everything and nothing: no one can sell, no one can dispose, and any one of them can block.
Where it always breaks down
Conflicts rarely come from the total value. They come from three things: the family home one wants to keep and another wants to sell, the sibling who did the caring and feels it is unrecognised, and lifetime gifts some received and others did not.
That last point has a technical name: collation. What was received from the deceased during their lifetime may have to be brought into account, and that changes the split entirely.
When there is no agreement
No heir can keep an estate blocked indefinitely. If negotiation is exhausted, there is judicial division of the estate, where the court appoints an accountant-divider.
It works, but it is slow and expensive, and assets usually end up at auction below value. That is why we exhaust negotiation first, even when relations are badly damaged.
Tell us about your case
First assessment at no cost. We tell you whether you have a case, what deadlines apply and what it would cost.
About this service.
Can one heir force the division of the estate?+
Yes. Any heir, or a legatee of an undivided share, can apply for judicial division. The agreement of the others is not required: one applicant is enough to start the procedure.