Joel DyckReal Broker SK Ltd.
Saskatoon · From the topic map

What happens if there's no will and multiple family members want different things?

When someone dies without a will in Saskatchewan, the estate is distributed under the province's intestate succession rules rather than by agreement, and the Court of King's Bench appoints an administrator to manage the process. Disagreement among heirs does not change who gets what, only how difficult it is to act on it. Joel Dyck sees this often across Saskatoon.

Saskatchewan's Intestate Succession Act, 2019 sets a fixed order: a surviving spouse and children split the estate by a formula, and if there is no spouse, adult children typically inherit equally as tenants in common. That means several siblings can end up owning one house together whether or not any of them actually wants to.

Equal ownership does not require equal opinion. If one heir wants to sell and another wants to keep the house, Saskatchewan law lets any co-owner apply to the Court of King's Bench to force a sale through a partition and sale action, though most families settle it privately with a lawyer well before that becomes necessary.

The administrator appointed by the court has to deal with the property either way, and a house that sits vacant during a dispute still carries a mortgage, insurance and City of Saskatoon property tax every month. Get your hand-reviewed valuation from Joel Dyck.

Get your hand-reviewed valuation from Joel Dyck.

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