Short answer. Yes. Under Article 1086 of the Civil Code, any heir can demand that indivisible property be sold at public auction and that outside bidders be allowed to participate — and when any heir makes that demand, it must be done. No heir can be forced to accept an adjudication to a sibling instead.
What the law says
if any of the heirs should demand that the thing be sold at public auction and that strangers be allowed to bid, this must be done
Civil Code, Article 1086 — Indivisible Property. Read the full provision →
The default rule and your override right
When inherited property cannot be physically divided — a house, a single lot, a vehicle — Article 1086 of the Civil Code provides a default solution: the property may be adjudicated to one heir, who then pays the others for their share in cash. That arrangement is perfectly legal if everyone agrees. But Article 1086 also protects heirs who do not want that outcome: "if any of the heirs should demand that the thing be sold at public auction and that strangers be allowed to bid, this must be done." One heir's demand is enough. The property goes to auction, open to the public.
Why the right to demand auction matters
Without this rule, a majority of heirs could gang up on one to force them to accept whatever price the majority's preferred heir is willing to pay for the property. The auction right prevents that. It guarantees an open-market process where the price is set by competition, not by the family dynamic. Any sibling who wants the property can bid — they are not excluded. But so can any member of the public. The result is a fair market price rather than a family-negotiated one, and the proceeds are divided according to each heir's share.
What 'indivisible' means in this context
The article covers two situations: property that is physically indivisible, and property that "would be much impaired by its being divided." A house is the clearest example — you cannot give one heir the kitchen and another the bedroom and call it an equal division. Agricultural land below the statutory minimum size cannot be productively subdivided. Even a car is indivisible in the relevant sense. If there is disagreement about whether the property qualifies as indivisible under this article, that is itself a question that may need to be settled by the court overseeing the estate settlement.
How to invoke your right
If the estate settlement is proceeding in court, you raise the demand for public auction before the probate court or the court handling the intestate settlement. If it is being done extrajudicially, you put your demand in writing to the administrator and to your co-heirs. An extrajudicial settlement that purports to adjudicate indivisible property to one heir over another's written objection is legally vulnerable. If you are in this situation now, make your position clear in writing as early as possible — waiting until after the deed is signed narrows your options significantly.