Legal Question in Real Estate Law in Nevada

I am not sure what it is you need. Do you wish to file a lien to guarantee repayment of the taxes you covered for your landlord? That is not too difficult and you may find enough help and advice to accomplish that with a quick call to a local attorney or a visit to the local law library. If you paid the taxes to avoid it going to auction, you did not gain any special recorded rights to the property. If, however, you were the successful bidder at the auction, you may well own it (provided the owner does not show up and redeem the bill you paid for him) after a period of time has passed.

If, however, you are looking to acquire title for your payments and apparent abandonment by the owner, that is something called "adverse possession" of the house. Under Nevada law, you would have to occupy and live in it as though it is your own for 15 years, including paying all those taxes for that period of time. If the proper owner showed up, you would have to drive him off "your" property to make the claim of ownership, too.

Is there a mortgage on the property? If the owner is not paying property taxes, what is the likelihood he is paying the mortgage payments? If there is a loan against the property, he may well lose it to foreclosure and you would be evicted (unless you bid to buy it from the bank) in that instance.

Are you living there rent-free? If you have not heard from the owner for over a year, perhaps you are getting the deal of the decade - living there with no rent, no mortgage and just keeping the tax man off the property! What's not to like there?