A daughter's attempt to claim part of her late father's £1.25 million Yorkshire property has failed, after the High Court rejected her claims under his will, the doctrine of proprietary estoppel and the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975. The case, Hodgson v Hodgson [2026] EWHC 922 (Ch), was decided by HH Judge Davis-White KC in the Business and Property Courts in Leeds on 23 April 2026. Anthony Hodgson, known as Tony, died in October 2020 aged 74, leaving property at Slingsby, North Yorkshire. A jointly appointed valuation expert valued the property as a whole at £1,250,000 as of June 2025. His daughter, Jane Hodgson, argued that she was entitled to her father's half interest in part of the property under his will, or alternatively through proprietary estoppel or the Inheritance Act 1975. The judge rejected all three claims. This complex legal battle underscores how the interplay between formal legal documents and informal family promises can create difficult inheritance disputes, highlighting the importance of clear, unambiguous estate planning.
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