Changes to New York’s Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act went into effect on Friday, prompted by an investigation into family members dispossessed from their homes after investors forced a sale. The new law aims to provide more protection to heirs whose family homes are targeted by predatory real estate speculators. Additionally, a change in the law made deed theft—a crime where the title of a home is taken without the homeowner's approval or knowledge—a prosecutable offense by the state attorney general without a referral.