Deal or no deal?

• The High Court in Uddin v Uddin confirmed that informal oral agreements to change beneficial ownership of property are unlikely to succeed without clear evidence of detrimental reliance.

Disputes over family property often arise where ownership arrangements are informal or poorly documented. The High Court’s decision in Uddin v Uddin [2026] EWHC 150 (Ch) serves as a clear reminder of the limitations of such arrangements, particularly where parties seek to rely on alleged oral agreements to alter beneficial ownership. As the case demonstrates, the courts will not always rescue families from the consequences of informality.

The dispute

The dispute concerned two brothers, Fakar and Jamal, and their respective interests in a family home. Although the property was initially acquired in one brother’s sole name, the parties shared an understanding that it would be owned equally. This intention was later formalised by way of a transfer into joint names, creating a joint tenancy.

In the