Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in Texas
unwilled estates in texas
sirs'
my father passed away 3 years ago. he was unmarried. the heirs are my brother and myself.
he left a business of which i still run. my brother is incarcerated at this time. so this is all on me from here on. i hear i have 4 years to file for a change of ownership. there was no will.
their could be a property lien due to some transaction between him and a family friend. will an avidavid of heirship be enough ? i don't understand probate. or administrative. please point me in the right...cost effective way to handle this.
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: unwilled estates in texas
Generally the property of people who die without
a will goes to the "heirs" of that person. So,
if there is no one else and you and your brother
are the only children of your father you would be
his "heirs" and entitled to his assets upon death,
assuming all his debts were paid.
If your fathers business involved real property
(land and/or buildings)then you will need to get
the title to this property into your and your
brothers name. This can probably be done by an
affidavit of heirship. An attorney should not
charge you much for preperation of this affidavit.
If you have been managing the business for three
years or so, you probably have access to all property
in the business. Change of ownership of the business
depends upon what form the business takes. Is it
a sole proprietorship, a partnership or a corporation?
What property does the business own or control?
You need to find out about any property liens due
on your father's property. If you haven't heard
anything about it in three years the owner of the
lien can't be too concerned. You need to find
out if there is a legal lien on any of your
father's property or the business and work to
remove that lien if possible.
Good luch!