Legal Question in Real Estate Law in Texas
My Grandmother received a letter from a collections lawfirm regarding the unpaid property taxes for a property my grandfather had in Jasper, Texas. My grandfather passed away in December of 2009. This property was not willed to my grandmother or my other or myself - we've never even seen the title to the property. More importantly, we do not want the property. Are we required to pay back taxes even though the property isn't in our name? (The back taxes go back to 2008).
2 Answers from Attorneys
You are not required to pay the taxes out of your pocket. However, the unpaid taxes can be taken out of a forced sale of the property if the taxes go unpaid (cost of the sale and attorney's fees will also be deducted). The person(s) in charge of the property will be those heirs left after your grandfather's passing. Heirs are determined first by will, and if no will was left, then by state law. Also, be aware that sometimes the collector will negotiate a settlement of the unpaid taxes. Do not ignore this problem, because it will not just go away. Also, you or the heirs may be entitled to money from your grandfather's estate and/or land.
You may call me for a free evaluation/consultation.
David Ortiz
832-689-4465
As has already been pointed out, the taxes follow the land. I suggest you contact a lawyer (even if it's not me) to discuss this. You can probably sell the land that you don't want, and have the taxes paid from the sale, and pocket the difference.
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