Blockchain-Based Platform for Managing Joint Ownership in Real Estate (ReJOM)

Abstract

Real estate joint ownership allows multiple investors to pool capital, share risks and access properties that may be difficult to purchase individually. However, managing these arrangements transparently and consistently across key stages of the joint ownership lifecycle remains challenging. Joint ownership arrangements rely on personal relationships and centralised record-keeping. Blockchain technology provides a decentralised, tamper-evident ledger that can record time-stamped actions. However, existing work provides limited and fragmented support for lifecycle management of joint ownership groups across these stages. The main objective of this research is to design, implement and evaluate a blockchain-based platform that supports lifecycle management of real estate joint ownership groups using smart contracts. The platform uses a document-weighted Trust Score to assess participant reliability before group entry. Smart contracts are used to govern joint ownership groups and support automated enforcement of predefined rules with key actions recorded on the blockchain to provide an auditable and tamper-evident history. The platform is implemented as a proof-of-concept prototype that uses Ethereum smart contracts, a web-based application and MetaMask integration to manage user wallets and transactions. The scope is limited to on-chain governance and auditability and does not include off-chain legal transfer processes or physical asset liquidation.