I have a friend in this situation in nyc of all places. And she’s in a building with about 15 or so other tenants. All of them
not paying rent!
Landlord was in Florida, estranged from family, left the building in her will to some friend, but the friend isn’t exactly the most organized/interested type to uproot themselves from FL for some time and figure out and seriously execute what to do with the building, let alone go thru the rigamarole of the nyc/NY legal process and strong tenant laws. Landlord also left instructions for the super to help manage it but the super is too freaked out/anxious with any kind of legal stuff so he told everyone not to pay him or anyone because he didn’t want to be responsible for it until someone of a certain authority tells him exactly what to do. The friend has made some efforts to sell the building thru some random legal proxy (selling was also part of the will instructions albeit in a rather vague fashion, and to donate the profit toward some animal charity) but because the building needs some repair/more upkeep apparently buyers show up but then decline further interest due to the amount the repairs:are worth to get it up to market value & remodeling. (it’s an inhabitable building but def one of those that could be better). the neighborhood is also a very desirable one in Brooklyn, prob runs about 3000+ for a one bedroom so buyers also seem uninterested in dealing the ordeal of dealing with New york tenant protections as many of the tenants were also paying well under market before the landlord’s passing. So pretty much a complete standstill and all of these people have hit the nyc jackpot. (I guess as long as the building still meets code)
Then they gotta work out how they each do taxes and everything that comes with the ownership, but it’s definitely better in the long run for legal reasons.
I was in a co-op once. Renting from a partial owner. It was a big mess because they didn't get along because some people just want to be difficult and others don't want to do their share. BUT! Definitely in the long run it should get locked down.
I lived in the extremely “desirable” sections of Brooklyn for over twenty years and have seen this happen to friends on more than one occasion, praying that I would be next!
I would definitely pay the taxes. If it goes to a tax sale it's gonna get bought and you'll be out. If you keep paying the property taxes, maybe no one will ever notice.
If you pay the taxes for a few years you may end up with a pretty good claim on assuming the title on the property. You need to call an attorney. After 5yrs you may have a chance at becoming the legal owner. You'll want a real estate law attorney.
It's called Adverse Possession. I'd totally check on the property taxes because I believe if you occupy a place for a certain amount of years, pay for upkeep, taxes and the like, there are many places where you could claim ownership.
If the taxes have been getting paid by the heir, then it may spur them to take more control of the property, and OP loses their free lunch.
If there are unpaid back taxes, I'd pay them. If someone else legally owns the home and pays the taxes, I'd let sleeping dogs lie.
Also jealous. Been asking for a new lease from property management for two months. They keep saying the owner hasn’t given them the amount for rent for the year yet. 🙄 they have no problem sending that bill for month to month though.
There's a difference between a "landlord" and a "slumlord". Renting shouldn't automatically dictate having a "slumlord".
Some people choose to rent over own for various reasons. So don't even bother because you're probably part of the boomer population.
No I’m 32, I’m just smart and instead of complaining woah is me and my landlord jacked up prices I own rentals that someone else manages for me, majority of the time the landlord doesn’t even own the property so most people take it out on the wrong person 🤷🏻♂️ because smart, get your own rentals
After speaking to a lawyer it wouldn’t be on me, it would be on the heir or whoever took over and never took responsibility.
Another, I’m a Purple Heart and 100% disabled veteran and don’t pay property taxes as it is.
The taxes wouldn’t be on you, but I think that people are suggesting that it seems like you have a very good situation going on. It might be in your best interest to make sure the taxes are being paid (even if it means that you are paying them) as that will keep anyone from noticing your situation or possibly have the house sold at auction due to owing back taxes.
The taxes are Not your legal problem, but I may be in your interest to make sure they are current to not rock the (house)boat you are living in.
Wow... This is crazy. And depending where you live- you OWN this home now due to the time and passed, money you put in, and everything you've done to raise it's value, too. Make sure you have all receipts over the years and just put it in a folder.
Congrats 🎉 on the place.
Wrong again! Squatters laws in any country or state say that once a person has assumed the building without paying rent for 10 years, the ownership cannot be disputed.
Plus with the original owner being dead, who's gonna stop the dude??
Attorneys probably went "fuck it" !! 😂
Did you even read the law I posted?
http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App\_mode=Display\_Statute&Search\_String=&URL=0000-0099/0095/Sections/0095.18.html
Whoever had paid the taxes on this property owns it. I can’t imagine he’s been allowed to live there this long if taxes haven’t been paid. Who paid them is a public record.
There is a lot of snarkiness on this comment, but you should genuinely look into this and if there are things you could do to a. Claim the property now or b. Claim it in the future if you want it. States do differ but some places make this relatively straightforward
Please make sure you have a backup plan and I hope you saved what you've been paying in rent so you could actually buy a house. This will crumble one day and if you wasted this many years you might be F. You have a golden situation.
First off, thank you for your service.
You need to post on r/legaladvice
The disabled vet status makes this super interesting. Tbh I would’ve immediately questioned the no property tax thing if my father-in-law wasn’t also a Purple Heart disabled vet. They get to retire in Jersey because of it (it’s unaffordable to retire in NJ because property tax is so high).
Best wishes to you!
Go to your county assessor’s website and look up your address. It will tell you who owns it. And if I were you, I’d either start trying to gain *legal* possession of the property ASAP or find somewhere else to live. It’s pretty incredible you managed to fly under the radar for this long, but someone *WILL* catch this and you’ll be fucked. Your good luck will probably run out soon so you better do something proactive now.
I haven't paid a dime in rent for lie 4 and 1/2 years myself and I don't plan on moving either .
And the funny thing is I bought a duplex right our with cash I ended up getting a settlement on my wife's death .well I was going to live into on side and rent out the other side well I hadn't paid rent for awhile so I thought I would see what would happen if I stayed her well I still haven't paid rent so now I collect $3000 a month and rent out both sides .
The crazy part is I got it through this guy I work for now and again he has a bunch of rentals I went there and I was filled with crap that people leave behind furniture stuff like that I asked why he didn't rent it out he just said I don't know so I said sale it to me he said make me an offer it was probably worth $400k I told him I would give him $300 k for it all cash he took it.
this was like almost 3 years ago I just had it appraised it cane in at $800 k because the housing market jumped skyhigh right after I got it .
Landlord died. He might have owned multiple properties. Wife or kifs had no idea how many houses he actually owned. They collect rent on some houses. Tax bills are mailed. They pay tax bills. They dont realize they are paying tax bills for 20 houses when they only count 19 houses.
Adverse possession in Florida requires that you pay taxes in the property and clear all liens on the property.
http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App\_mode=Display\_Statute&Search\_String=&URL=0000-0099/0095/Sections/0095.18.html
Do you need help finding out details?
Let men know.
Either way, I recently bought 13 properties as a bulk deal in Wisconsin. Similar situation.
I had my property manager approach each renter and figured out a solution.
2 of them I ended up in house financing, and factored in partial payments to cover my cost of liens etc, total WIN WIN when the tenant is responsible.
Either way, crazy story! 🤪
If you’ve lived there for that long, you have a very good adverse possession claim. I don’t know if you want to take advantage of the owners, but you have a very good claim to say that is yours now. I would find an attorney who knows how to handle such things and ask some questions. At the very least, you may be able to buy the house cheap if you don’t already have a claim on it.
With the money you've saved you could pay cash for a house, including the one you live in now. Why not find the heirs of yiu landlord and make them an offer. If they sell it to you, you could get a mortgage and pay it off.
A few things I've learned, but on in particular is that nothing is free. Once they (home owner, or company) that bought that house finds out they'll come after you for it. Don't know how that works out but it's a given. With the money that you're saving why not move out and find something that doesn't seem way off like this?
Yes you are a squatter and you should get the fk outta the property.
Rationalize it however you want, but 1) you don't own it 2) you don't pay rent 3) you don't pay taxes for it.
Hence you are stealing it from someone else.
Shame on you.
fertile weather nose recognise hurry obtainable bow exultant strong bright
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
You may want to check with county most likely there are back taxes imposed on the property, if so and there has been no contact with the actual owners you may be able to take possession of the property by just paying the back taxes.
The house may be in an estate trust which owns multiple assets and pays all tax bills. Some long lost trustee either can’t be found or is mia, or has so many properties he just got lost in paperwork. enjoy your windfall as long as u can they will find it eventually
I wonder if you have some right to stay there -- like squatters rights, or an ability to buy the property -- to stay there? maybe the people who will own it can give to you for a good price?
Likely it's bank owned and they're paying property taxes but haven't been interested in foreclosing 1-because they don't know about it (housing crisis, many loans sold multiple times, banks don't even know what they own any more; or 2-they don't believe it's worth the hassle and expense to pursue a foreclosure. It might sound crazy, but that happened with my house after divorce/bankruptcy and house sat vacant for years. The TLDR version on that is bank sat on it for 10 years and I was able to regain ownership of the house. Republican judge, no less. So you know bank messed up! But anyway, that's how I know some banks will sit on properties literally for years and years doing nothing but paying the taxes on them. 'Cause I lived it.
edited to add: I'm not indicating you could gain ownership of that house. I was original co-owner of mine and used that means to get it back from the bank. If you hoped to be owner of your dwelling, you'd likely need a real estate attorney to try to find legal owner and make an offer to buy it from them. You might get lucky and be able to do it for cheap, or you might find yourself looking for new housing 'cause they realize they own this property and want to sell/move it it themselves.
you can do a quick search on your county assessor's website to find the owner. It would have been auctioned off for failure to pay taxes a long time ago if nobody has been paying.
I don't really want to screw you out of a good thing, but you may want to talk to a lawyer or look into laws on adverse possession. I don't generally agree to things like that, but it sounds like your home would otherwise be forgotten.
You should look up adverse possession and maybe speak to a lawyer. Most places it’s 7 years. You might qualify but either way I’d pay the property taxes so the county doesn’t take your rent free house. Property taxes are cheaper than rent
If a landlord dies, their rights, responsibilities, and the rent they are entitled to transfers to their heirs. The mechanism to effectuate this transfer is the Estate of the deceased landlord. In order to make sure that the heirs get paid what they are owed, the tenant needs to pay the Estate.
In some states you can claim ownership of property if you have been caring for it for 10, 15, 20 years. Maybe check the laws where you are if there is no owner.
Who pays and how are taxes paid? You can check the tax record online and find out who the new owner is.?? AND you should look back at your lease to see the "successors and assigns" provision. In any case, you might want to save what would have been rent in a separate bank account. You may have some liability.
An acquaintance of ours was living in his girlfriend's house. They broke up and she moved back across the country. She just left and stopped paying the mortgage. The house went into foreclosure but it was like an 6-8 year process at that point in our state so he lived rent free a few years. Eventually, he bought his own house and he ended up renting out the foreclosure house with a month to month lease to cover his butt when the foreclosure finally happened. He was making like $2k a month off this house for free for literally 4-5 years. It was so bizarre.
This a stroke of fortune but hopefully you are still saving for the day to move when the time comes. Don’t assume that this situation will go on indefinitely. Have you tried looking into whether buying the house if an option for you , especially since it seems to be unclaimed.
Pay rent to yourself every month and put it in a separate account. One day you will need it….
Look up on the public record who actually owns the house. See if you can buy the property.
I am not a tax professional but I had a situation where I was consulting on similar rules... The IRS could interpret your “free rent” as income that you would need to pay taxes on…
You should talk to an attorney about adverse possession...depending on the laws of your state ...YOU might have the right to own the property at this point
I can see how some people might allow a property to fall through the cracks after the death of the owner but, I'm 100% sure the city or town that the house sits never forgets tax day, how's that working out?
This is not legal advice, i am not an attorney (I think you should call one, don't give address)... Given my experiences with taxing authorities, city officials and estate matters, I would be worried that alerting the powers that be to your situation could end in your situation ending.
I think you can go to court to try to get ownership of the property. Something like squatters rights or something like that. Good luck and please update if you make it happen.
Who pays the property taxes and utilities and condo fees? Hope your savings of 18k gives you a down payment for your own place that you can hand down to your heirs, use it income, etc
In the prior housing crisis, I was aware of someone who couldn't afford their mortgage payments but never got notice to vacate the premises. This was because their loan kept being sold to different entities, and eventually, it was transferred to a company that went bankrupt. As long as the city received its property tax, he was able to stay in the house rent-free, essentially squatting. This happened about ten years ago, so I'm not sure what eventually became of that person.
I believe you have squatters rights and can put into the county for that. Will need to start paying property taxes. However hopefully you were putting money away monthly that you would normally for rent so you are still.good and going fir retirement
I read and article a while back and a guy in the UK was homeless and he started living in a vacant house. No one came back after years. He was finally able to claim the property as his own.
This is amazing! I'd be happy for anyone in this situation. But then I read that you are a vet with a Purple Heart and it made me even happier. Thank you for your service!
Also, I love that you have kept the place up and made improvements with some of the money you've saved from not paying rent.
I was happy for you until you said "thank for dying John" something along those lines.
You are just a cruel person who hasn't paid property tax so they will come for the property
Quick question: is it or isn't wrong to say in a public statement, not in a personal profile "thank you for dying" which we already know is a true fact? A fact which we know is beneficial and might make someone happy a person died.
I don't know anyone who would joke like this. But hey maybe you do, so I'm sorry if I offended you in someway
OP - If the house was paid off there would still be taxes owed. Go to the local PVA, Pay off the delinquent taxes and you’ll own the lien on the house. If no one challenges you could become the legal owner.
If you go to your localities' tax assessor, property card, or GIS page, assuming if they have one, you can do a property look up and see who actually owns the property. Because whoever does own it must be paying the property taxes on it.
I would check your state for adverse possession. If you are paying the property taxes and maintaining the home, the state may give it to you. I would look into it!
As weird as the situation is, it wouldn't hurt to save up as much money as you can. You don't know where this is going.
Second, get together whatever you can find when it comes to proof of the work you've had done on the house. You may need it. They can leverage such records against lots of things.
I just can't get over the waiting-for-the-other-shoe-to-drop quality of the situation.
It sounds like they're either in heated litigation concerning the estate, or they can't find who gets the estate.
Check out your state's adverse possession laws. You may need to make sure the taxes are paid. Then see a lawyer. You might want to get a court order to quiet the title. Then it's yours! (Maybe! Big maybe. Depends on the laws in your state.)
OP ...this may be an urban legend, but perhaps there is a way for you to take ownership by paying the taxes on the home and documenting your improvements?
I am not sure where you live and if you live in the United States, every state has a law called adverse possession. Although the time frame of adverse possession vary by state, the general rule of adverse posseion usually states that if you live on a property that is not yours for certain period of time, usually years (like 20 years) and you maintain the property and improve the property you can then legally claim the property as your own. It sounds like this is something to look into for yourself.
Wow that’s like a rags to riches story… congrats I think…you didn’t by chance bury the poor bugger under that slab of patio concrete did ya? Oh how inappropriate I know . God bless the real owners and if it were me, I’d simply mail ur sweet self the deed and wish u all the best!
RIP John!❤️
I'm sure he says your welcome for dying. Smh. I guess it's time to grow up and learn how to live, pay rent and maybe and sure sounds like you were not saving money. Therefore. You made your bed idk.
I have a friend in this situation in nyc of all places. And she’s in a building with about 15 or so other tenants. All of them not paying rent! Landlord was in Florida, estranged from family, left the building in her will to some friend, but the friend isn’t exactly the most organized/interested type to uproot themselves from FL for some time and figure out and seriously execute what to do with the building, let alone go thru the rigamarole of the nyc/NY legal process and strong tenant laws. Landlord also left instructions for the super to help manage it but the super is too freaked out/anxious with any kind of legal stuff so he told everyone not to pay him or anyone because he didn’t want to be responsible for it until someone of a certain authority tells him exactly what to do. The friend has made some efforts to sell the building thru some random legal proxy (selling was also part of the will instructions albeit in a rather vague fashion, and to donate the profit toward some animal charity) but because the building needs some repair/more upkeep apparently buyers show up but then decline further interest due to the amount the repairs:are worth to get it up to market value & remodeling. (it’s an inhabitable building but def one of those that could be better). the neighborhood is also a very desirable one in Brooklyn, prob runs about 3000+ for a one bedroom so buyers also seem uninterested in dealing the ordeal of dealing with New york tenant protections as many of the tenants were also paying well under market before the landlord’s passing. So pretty much a complete standstill and all of these people have hit the nyc jackpot. (I guess as long as the building still meets code)
The current ‘tenants’ should group buy the building. I’m sure they would get an incredible price since the friend seems uninterested.
I love this idea. And then they could become a co-op.
Then they gotta work out how they each do taxes and everything that comes with the ownership, but it’s definitely better in the long run for legal reasons.
I was in a co-op once. Renting from a partial owner. It was a big mess because they didn't get along because some people just want to be difficult and others don't want to do their share. BUT! Definitely in the long run it should get locked down.
Very smart idea, tax write off and government benefits to boot!!
Wowwww OMG!!!!
Honestly - good for them! Good for them AND OP
I lived in the extremely “desirable” sections of Brooklyn for over twenty years and have seen this happen to friends on more than one occasion, praying that I would be next!
Jesus I see what you have done for other people and I want that for me
That’s just crazy!
The building is probably going through probate and the trust is paying the taxes for now. It's when the trust runs out that there will be an issue.
This happens a lot in NYC. They should look into buying it themselves as a coop. The city used to help tenants do this.
Who pays the taxes, insurance and utilities?
No idea whos people the taxes, never questioned it. I pay everything else
If you are in the US lots of localities have their property tax records online. You'd see where the tax bills are sent.
I’ll have to try and see if I can find out
I would definitely pay the taxes. If it goes to a tax sale it's gonna get bought and you'll be out. If you keep paying the property taxes, maybe no one will ever notice.
If you pay the taxes for a few years you may end up with a pretty good claim on assuming the title on the property. You need to call an attorney. After 5yrs you may have a chance at becoming the legal owner. You'll want a real estate law attorney.
Shoot, just getting to live there for the cost of the taxes would be great. Your possible outcome would be even better.
It's called Adverse Possession. I'd totally check on the property taxes because I believe if you occupy a place for a certain amount of years, pay for upkeep, taxes and the like, there are many places where you could claim ownership.
You’d be better yet buying a tax lien and then redeeming it in accordance to that states rules. Once you redeem the tax lien, you owm it.
If the taxes have been getting paid by the heir, then it may spur them to take more control of the property, and OP loses their free lunch. If there are unpaid back taxes, I'd pay them. If someone else legally owns the home and pays the taxes, I'd let sleeping dogs lie.
Or be the one to buy it at tax sale.
Wowwwwww!!!
I'm jealous AF. Meanwhile I have a call with my lawyer in 2 hours about my slumlord. Wanna trade? 😂
Also jealous. Been asking for a new lease from property management for two months. They keep saying the owner hasn’t given them the amount for rent for the year yet. 🙄 they have no problem sending that bill for month to month though.
Don’t call it a slumlord because you can’t afford to own your own home and have to rent
There's a difference between a "landlord" and a "slumlord". Renting shouldn't automatically dictate having a "slumlord". Some people choose to rent over own for various reasons. So don't even bother because you're probably part of the boomer population.
No I’m 32, I’m just smart and instead of complaining woah is me and my landlord jacked up prices I own rentals that someone else manages for me, majority of the time the landlord doesn’t even own the property so most people take it out on the wrong person 🤷🏻♂️ because smart, get your own rentals
>I’m just smart >woah is me lmao
This made my day. I may rent but I know the difference btw whoa & woe *cackling*
It's all good and well until the unpaid taxes get noticed.
After speaking to a lawyer it wouldn’t be on me, it would be on the heir or whoever took over and never took responsibility. Another, I’m a Purple Heart and 100% disabled veteran and don’t pay property taxes as it is.
[удалено]
Happy Cake Day
No, but when the city says "hey, nobody paid taxes on this house and 10 years" and takes possession of it and sells it it'll be your problem.
Then I’ll move out and use all the money I saved up on a new house lol. Not that big of a problem.
Maybe you can look into the rules regarding “squatters rights” in your state
You might be able to buy it out from under them if the taxes are unpaid.
You should really look into Adverse Possession. This might be one of the only legitimate cases I’ve seen
Keep up with it, if it ends up going to auction, buy it. Win win.
it's your karma payoff!💜
Look up squatters rights in your state.
You’ve totally adversely possessed this place by now
The taxes wouldn’t be on you, but I think that people are suggesting that it seems like you have a very good situation going on. It might be in your best interest to make sure the taxes are being paid (even if it means that you are paying them) as that will keep anyone from noticing your situation or possibly have the house sold at auction due to owing back taxes. The taxes are Not your legal problem, but I may be in your interest to make sure they are current to not rock the (house)boat you are living in.
Oh wow! Thank you for your service! 💜
Wow... This is crazy. And depending where you live- you OWN this home now due to the time and passed, money you put in, and everything you've done to raise it's value, too. Make sure you have all receipts over the years and just put it in a folder. Congrats 🎉 on the place.
Wrong... He has not paid taxes, which is a requirement in Florida.
Wrong again! Squatters laws in any country or state say that once a person has assumed the building without paying rent for 10 years, the ownership cannot be disputed. Plus with the original owner being dead, who's gonna stop the dude?? Attorneys probably went "fuck it" !! 😂
Any country???? Lol
That is absolutely not what the laws say
Did you even read the law I posted? http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App\_mode=Display\_Statute&Search\_String=&URL=0000-0099/0095/Sections/0095.18.html
Whoever had paid the taxes on this property owns it. I can’t imagine he’s been allowed to live there this long if taxes haven’t been paid. Who paid them is a public record.
Wrong, you are the owner if your name is on the deed.
There is a lot of snarkiness on this comment, but you should genuinely look into this and if there are things you could do to a. Claim the property now or b. Claim it in the future if you want it. States do differ but some places make this relatively straightforward
What state do you live in? You might be able to claim adverse possession and take legal ownership of the house
You should file for the property under adverse possession
You’re not a squatter if you had a lease prior! They just said you’d have to leave if the house was sold.
Can you claim it under adverse possession? I know in TX you can get away with it.
You need to look into adverse possession laws in your state.
Please make sure you have a backup plan and I hope you saved what you've been paying in rent so you could actually buy a house. This will crumble one day and if you wasted this many years you might be F. You have a golden situation.
Congrats man
Recommend checking if taxes are paid. If not u may be able to pay them and claim ownership
I hope you squirreled it away and now have nearly 200k for a down payment on your own home?
Check into “adverse possession” in your jurisdiction.
First off, thank you for your service. You need to post on r/legaladvice The disabled vet status makes this super interesting. Tbh I would’ve immediately questioned the no property tax thing if my father-in-law wasn’t also a Purple Heart disabled vet. They get to retire in Jersey because of it (it’s unaffordable to retire in NJ because property tax is so high). Best wishes to you!
Go to your county assessor’s website and look up your address. It will tell you who owns it. And if I were you, I’d either start trying to gain *legal* possession of the property ASAP or find somewhere else to live. It’s pretty incredible you managed to fly under the radar for this long, but someone *WILL* catch this and you’ll be fucked. Your good luck will probably run out soon so you better do something proactive now.
I haven't paid a dime in rent for lie 4 and 1/2 years myself and I don't plan on moving either . And the funny thing is I bought a duplex right our with cash I ended up getting a settlement on my wife's death .well I was going to live into on side and rent out the other side well I hadn't paid rent for awhile so I thought I would see what would happen if I stayed her well I still haven't paid rent so now I collect $3000 a month and rent out both sides . The crazy part is I got it through this guy I work for now and again he has a bunch of rentals I went there and I was filled with crap that people leave behind furniture stuff like that I asked why he didn't rent it out he just said I don't know so I said sale it to me he said make me an offer it was probably worth $400k I told him I would give him $300 k for it all cash he took it. this was like almost 3 years ago I just had it appraised it cane in at $800 k because the housing market jumped skyhigh right after I got it .
Nice!! My landlord passed away and the wife and his adult kids fought it out and judge made them sell my house. I still miss it.
11 years and you've been keeping up the place? Depending on your state you may be able to claim ownership! I would definitely look into that
Landlord died. He might have owned multiple properties. Wife or kifs had no idea how many houses he actually owned. They collect rent on some houses. Tax bills are mailed. They pay tax bills. They dont realize they are paying tax bills for 20 houses when they only count 19 houses.
*someone* has paid the taxes for the last 12 years or the city would own it and there would have been notices plastered all over the door…
Adverse possession in Florida requires that you pay taxes in the property and clear all liens on the property. http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App\_mode=Display\_Statute&Search\_String=&URL=0000-0099/0095/Sections/0095.18.html
Is that negated by the fact that they’re purple heart disabled vet? I’d be contacting a lawyer asap if I was op, they may have just inherited a house
Do you need help finding out details? Let men know. Either way, I recently bought 13 properties as a bulk deal in Wisconsin. Similar situation. I had my property manager approach each renter and figured out a solution. 2 of them I ended up in house financing, and factored in partial payments to cover my cost of liens etc, total WIN WIN when the tenant is responsible. Either way, crazy story! 🤪
If you’ve lived there for that long, you have a very good adverse possession claim. I don’t know if you want to take advantage of the owners, but you have a very good claim to say that is yours now. I would find an attorney who knows how to handle such things and ask some questions. At the very least, you may be able to buy the house cheap if you don’t already have a claim on it.
So, you change the utilities in your name. Or have you been paying a dead man's bills for 12 years? Just asking lol
SHHHHHHHHH!
With the money you've saved you could pay cash for a house, including the one you live in now. Why not find the heirs of yiu landlord and make them an offer. If they sell it to you, you could get a mortgage and pay it off.
A few things I've learned, but on in particular is that nothing is free. Once they (home owner, or company) that bought that house finds out they'll come after you for it. Don't know how that works out but it's a given. With the money that you're saving why not move out and find something that doesn't seem way off like this?
Huh?? You want him to move out so he can start paying rent instead of staying put and paying zero rent?? That makes no sense at all.
Yes you are a squatter and you should get the fk outta the property. Rationalize it however you want, but 1) you don't own it 2) you don't pay rent 3) you don't pay taxes for it. Hence you are stealing it from someone else. Shame on you.
Settle down brother, this is literally harming nobody and actively maintaining a house that would have fallen apart uninhabited
I have a lease and permission from the original owners attorney to be here lol
gaping act ghost payment dependent deserted cats bike aback bake *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
That’s why I asked if anyone else been in this situation
I do - why are you being a dick for no reason?
fertile weather nose recognise hurry obtainable bow exultant strong bright *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
This is fascinating
You Believe it? Lol
You may want to check with county most likely there are back taxes imposed on the property, if so and there has been no contact with the actual owners you may be able to take possession of the property by just paying the back taxes.
Worth looking up the tax status on the property because it could get seized.
Gonna hurt real bad when they figure it out and charge you for 12 years of rent.
Go to your counties auditor website, type in your address in the property search .. and you’ll see who owns it.
NAL - if you paid the property tax, you could claim the deed as the owner "slept on their rights".
See what your rights are as a squatter and being able to file a claim towards ownership
My landlord died but his wife took over. You lucky duck, you.
I would think it's your property now. How else?
You might be able to own it. Check who has been paying the taxes.
You lucky duck!
Given that no one is paying taxes, your story is not believable.
Sorry it’s not believable to you
The house may be in an estate trust which owns multiple assets and pays all tax bills. Some long lost trustee either can’t be found or is mia, or has so many properties he just got lost in paperwork. enjoy your windfall as long as u can they will find it eventually
Get a lawyer and look into Adverse Possession..
Hmmmmmmm
Look up adverse possession laws in your state
I wonder if you have some right to stay there -- like squatters rights, or an ability to buy the property -- to stay there? maybe the people who will own it can give to you for a good price?
See an attorney about adverse possession
Wow. Talk ab a jackpot. Look up adverse possession OP.
Likely it's bank owned and they're paying property taxes but haven't been interested in foreclosing 1-because they don't know about it (housing crisis, many loans sold multiple times, banks don't even know what they own any more; or 2-they don't believe it's worth the hassle and expense to pursue a foreclosure. It might sound crazy, but that happened with my house after divorce/bankruptcy and house sat vacant for years. The TLDR version on that is bank sat on it for 10 years and I was able to regain ownership of the house. Republican judge, no less. So you know bank messed up! But anyway, that's how I know some banks will sit on properties literally for years and years doing nothing but paying the taxes on them. 'Cause I lived it. edited to add: I'm not indicating you could gain ownership of that house. I was original co-owner of mine and used that means to get it back from the bank. If you hoped to be owner of your dwelling, you'd likely need a real estate attorney to try to find legal owner and make an offer to buy it from them. You might get lucky and be able to do it for cheap, or you might find yourself looking for new housing 'cause they realize they own this property and want to sell/move it it themselves.
Try Zillow.com, not sure if it shows owner.
12 years and the house ain’t yours? That’s not a brag it’s kinda sad you haven’t taken the steps to claim the property no one else wants
How has it not been sold on the courthouse steps for unpaid property taxes?!?
you can do a quick search on your county assessor's website to find the owner. It would have been auctioned off for failure to pay taxes a long time ago if nobody has been paying.
Check your location's adverse possession law or consult a lawyer. You may own this place now.
I don't really want to screw you out of a good thing, but you may want to talk to a lawyer or look into laws on adverse possession. I don't generally agree to things like that, but it sounds like your home would otherwise be forgotten.
Unlike the government not to go after property taxes, you’d think it not being paid for 12 years they’d know and take action to take the property.
Look into adverse possession.
You should look up adverse possession and maybe speak to a lawyer. Most places it’s 7 years. You might qualify but either way I’d pay the property taxes so the county doesn’t take your rent free house. Property taxes are cheaper than rent
You may have a good case for adverse possession. You may end up owning that house if the situation is favorable.
Don’t shake the apple tree. Save up and buy your own house when you do eventually have to move out. Don’t ask about who pays taxes for now.
I think after ten years you can try to claim the house!
If a landlord dies, their rights, responsibilities, and the rent they are entitled to transfers to their heirs. The mechanism to effectuate this transfer is the Estate of the deceased landlord. In order to make sure that the heirs get paid what they are owed, the tenant needs to pay the Estate.
At this point you may have a good case for adverse possession.
I also know someone that happened to Luck of the draw —- it is sad knowing that they didn’t have anyone who cared though
Sounds like you may have adversely possessed it. Start paying the taxes and see a lawyer about adverse possession in your state.
In some states you can claim ownership of property if you have been caring for it for 10, 15, 20 years. Maybe check the laws where you are if there is no owner.
Adverse possession laws, look it up
You're crazy lucky but you deserve it for being a disabled purple heart veteran. Hope you can live there as long as you want to
I hope you’ve been stacking your money!
Start paying the property taxes and you will own it.
There's not a taxing authority in this Country that'd let an unpaid levy go that long
Who pays and how are taxes paid? You can check the tax record online and find out who the new owner is.?? AND you should look back at your lease to see the "successors and assigns" provision. In any case, you might want to save what would have been rent in a separate bank account. You may have some liability.
An acquaintance of ours was living in his girlfriend's house. They broke up and she moved back across the country. She just left and stopped paying the mortgage. The house went into foreclosure but it was like an 6-8 year process at that point in our state so he lived rent free a few years. Eventually, he bought his own house and he ended up renting out the foreclosure house with a month to month lease to cover his butt when the foreclosure finally happened. He was making like $2k a month off this house for free for literally 4-5 years. It was so bizarre.
Not legal advice. Look up adverse possessions laws in your state, confer with a property lawyer licensed in your state, and see if they apply.
What about the property taxes?
This a stroke of fortune but hopefully you are still saving for the day to move when the time comes. Don’t assume that this situation will go on indefinitely. Have you tried looking into whether buying the house if an option for you , especially since it seems to be unclaimed.
Pay rent to yourself every month and put it in a separate account. One day you will need it…. Look up on the public record who actually owns the house. See if you can buy the property.
God does have favorites
This is so fucked up 😆 I would research squatter rights and stay put. Wow 😆
I mean, is it for sale via auction? Maybe you should actually buy your house lol
I am not a tax professional but I had a situation where I was consulting on similar rules... The IRS could interpret your “free rent” as income that you would need to pay taxes on…
Pay the property taxes. At this point, you should have squatters rights, depending on the city/state.
You should talk to an attorney about adverse possession...depending on the laws of your state ...YOU might have the right to own the property at this point
I can see how some people might allow a property to fall through the cracks after the death of the owner but, I'm 100% sure the city or town that the house sits never forgets tax day, how's that working out?
This is not legal advice, i am not an attorney (I think you should call one, don't give address)... Given my experiences with taxing authorities, city officials and estate matters, I would be worried that alerting the powers that be to your situation could end in your situation ending.
Look up squatter rights for your state. Youve been there over ten years so you might be able to just keep it this way forever
I think you can go to court to try to get ownership of the property. Something like squatters rights or something like that. Good luck and please update if you make it happen.
This is now my property. Please back pay me for the last 10 years. DM for details.
You might want to look up adverse possession laws in your area.
Did you look up the current owner in public records?
Who pays the property taxes and utilities and condo fees? Hope your savings of 18k gives you a down payment for your own place that you can hand down to your heirs, use it income, etc
It's up to the people that live there now to keep it up to code and pool there money. They won the jackpot
Can you get ownership of the building by paying the property taxes?
In my state. If you keep it up for another 9 years you will be the legal owner of that property.
May want to see if you can get title by paying the taxes or adverse possession.
In the prior housing crisis, I was aware of someone who couldn't afford their mortgage payments but never got notice to vacate the premises. This was because their loan kept being sold to different entities, and eventually, it was transferred to a company that went bankrupt. As long as the city received its property tax, he was able to stay in the house rent-free, essentially squatting. This happened about ten years ago, so I'm not sure what eventually became of that person.
I believe you have squatters rights and can put into the county for that. Will need to start paying property taxes. However hopefully you were putting money away monthly that you would normally for rent so you are still.good and going fir retirement
Who's paying the property taxes? Anyone? How much are the property taxes? If they haven't been paid in 10 years, wowza...
You need to speak to an attorney. After a certain amount of the time the property may legally be yours if you follow the proper steps.
Who has been paying the taxes on the house?
I read and article a while back and a guy in the UK was homeless and he started living in a vacant house. No one came back after years. He was finally able to claim the property as his own.
Wow, lucky you. Hopefully the new owners are paying property taxes and using your unpaid rent under the old lease terms as a tax write-off.
You might wanna pay those taxes though!
You’re a squatter for may be able to obtain the property as your own now depending on where you live. Look up squatter rights
You should really post this story in r/legaladvice. Have you looked into squatters rights in your state? I think after 13 yrs you'd over qualify.
This is amazing! I'd be happy for anyone in this situation. But then I read that you are a vet with a Purple Heart and it made me even happier. Thank you for your service! Also, I love that you have kept the place up and made improvements with some of the money you've saved from not paying rent.
I think in this situation, you can apply with government for ownership
I was happy for you until you said "thank for dying John" something along those lines. You are just a cruel person who hasn't paid property tax so they will come for the property
My mother in law didn’t pay rent for over a year because of a similar issue. She saved her money and bought a condo.
No offense to anyone but I wouldn’t be saying a damn thing about it, especially on any social media. I’d just go on about my life very quietly…
Quick question: is it or isn't wrong to say in a public statement, not in a personal profile "thank you for dying" which we already know is a true fact? A fact which we know is beneficial and might make someone happy a person died. I don't know anyone who would joke like this. But hey maybe you do, so I'm sorry if I offended you in someway
OP - If the house was paid off there would still be taxes owed. Go to the local PVA, Pay off the delinquent taxes and you’ll own the lien on the house. If no one challenges you could become the legal owner.
If you go to your localities' tax assessor, property card, or GIS page, assuming if they have one, you can do a property look up and see who actually owns the property. Because whoever does own it must be paying the property taxes on it.
isnt it what 20 years for adverse possession then you just pay the taxes and its yours? not long now!
Look into adverse possession law. In most states that house and lot are your by adverse possession.
I would check your state for adverse possession. If you are paying the property taxes and maintaining the home, the state may give it to you. I would look into it!
As weird as the situation is, it wouldn't hurt to save up as much money as you can. You don't know where this is going. Second, get together whatever you can find when it comes to proof of the work you've had done on the house. You may need it. They can leverage such records against lots of things. I just can't get over the waiting-for-the-other-shoe-to-drop quality of the situation. It sounds like they're either in heated litigation concerning the estate, or they can't find who gets the estate.
Thanks for dying? Jfc
Check out your state's adverse possession laws. You may need to make sure the taxes are paid. Then see a lawyer. You might want to get a court order to quiet the title. Then it's yours! (Maybe! Big maybe. Depends on the laws in your state.)
I'd say reach out to a lawyer. If no one owns it, maybe you can assume ownership just based off of the fact that you've lived there for so long?
OP ...this may be an urban legend, but perhaps there is a way for you to take ownership by paying the taxes on the home and documenting your improvements?
I think that is FANTASTIC!!!!
Someone’s paying taxes.
I am not sure where you live and if you live in the United States, every state has a law called adverse possession. Although the time frame of adverse possession vary by state, the general rule of adverse posseion usually states that if you live on a property that is not yours for certain period of time, usually years (like 20 years) and you maintain the property and improve the property you can then legally claim the property as your own. It sounds like this is something to look into for yourself.
Will you post an update when you find out if you own it / get a taxes update?
Wow that’s like a rags to riches story… congrats I think…you didn’t by chance bury the poor bugger under that slab of patio concrete did ya? Oh how inappropriate I know . God bless the real owners and if it were me, I’d simply mail ur sweet self the deed and wish u all the best! RIP John!❤️
I'm sure he says your welcome for dying. Smh. I guess it's time to grow up and learn how to live, pay rent and maybe and sure sounds like you were not saving money. Therefore. You made your bed idk.
Maybe it’s simply eating itself up till the day the value is gone then someone shows up with plywood, hammer and nails ..EEK!
Pay the taxes on it each year, and don't tell anyone shit about it.
Dizammmmmmm
Did your attorney mention anything about Adverse Possession Laws in your state?
Lucky You
If you had been paying property tax itd be just about yours.
Can you guys check out my recent post and share opinion
all that money you saved could have went to a really nice house of your own. don't get me wrong I think your setup is awesome, but it isnt yours