Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in Virginia

property seizures from heir property

My family's land property was seized because of delinquent taxes by Hanover County, Virginia....The land was placed on auction and sold. My question is...since the taxes were paid through the sale, do we recoup the remaining monies less taxes and/or fees or some type of residual monies? I mean the taxes were much less than $10,000, and the property sold for over $100,000. This seems illegal to me and my family since the property was heir property from my Grandfather to my Father to me, etc. as well as the sons and daughters of my Grandfather....please help us and recommend an attorney who can help us....thank you, dw


Asked on 3/02/07, 10:19 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
Michael Hendrickson Law Office Michael E. Hendrickson

Re: property seizures from heir property

Yes, if the property was seized and sold at auction by the county for failure to pay delinquent taxes, the owner(s) would be entitled to receive the difference between what was owed the county for the taxes and what the property sold for at auction, minus the various administrative fees/costs associated with the seizure and auction of the property.

There is also normally a fairly lengthy so-called period of redemption which accompanies these kinds of sales in which the owner of record is given a specific period of time to pay off the overdue taxes and if he does so within that alloted time, he can reclaim the property as his own and it will not be turned over to the auction high bidder.

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Answered on 3/02/07, 9:59 pm


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