Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in Virginia
Property Taxes on House left to 5 Siblings
My grandmother recently passed away and left 60% of the house to my mother and 10% each to the remaining 4 children. My mother( widowed in her early 20s) has lived in that house since 1960 and took care of my grandmother her whole life. My mother plans to remain in the house until she feels it will be too much for her. I was wondering about the propety taxes on the house---normally $3000 a year. Does my mother pay the total amount of tax alone or do(should) her siblings pay their share of the tax on the 10% they each now own? It just doesn't seem right that she pay all the property tax on the house just because she is living there/will be ''caretaker'' of that house and not the sole owner. Thank you.
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: Property Taxes on House left to 5 Siblings
The taxes owed on the property are the responsiblity of the owners of the property and are not determined by the person who merely lives on the property. In the situation which you've described there appear to be five owners
holding title to the property as tenants in common, with your mother holding a 60% undivided interest in the whole and each of the four children, respectively, a 10% undivided interest in the whole.
The payment of taxes should be determined by the proportionate share of ownership which each tenant in common has in the property. If your mother owns a three fifths interest(60%), her proportionate share of the taxes would be $3000(assuming this is the yearly tax liability)x
.6= $1800 and with the four children collectively paying the rest($300 each, respectively).
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