I’m not a legal expert or lawyer but used to work in title insurance in CA. Based on this limited information, it sounds like you’re the target of a scam.
In CA generally you can ask a title company (or realtor, who will ask a title company) to check the “chain of title” and tax history. Any valid liens being foreclosed on should have associated notices of record, well in advance of you losing title to the property.
If it is being foreclosed, there would be a date at which the home is to be sold at auction. If that does happen, the owner is generally entitled to any remaining proceeds of the sale after the outstanding debt is satisfied.
It was a letter with no return address or date. It arrived and i was told by my aunt who is the trustee. We called to find more info regarding the debt and was just told to pay the balance.
Does not sound legit at all.
Google “[Your County] tax collector.” They should have a number you can call and/or location you can visit to find out if you have any outstanding property tax debt.
As someone who didn’t even know she was being scammed, the postal inspectors straightened everything out and only informed me when the man was sentenced to prison. I had zero stress because I was completely in the dark until I received a certified letter detailing the crime.
They do not play. They have one job (protect the mail service) and they do it well.
They're pretty nice too. They don't care about shit that doesn't matter.
Like I answered the door to two postal inspectors one time with a giant blunt in my hand, in an illegal state.
They didn't give a shit. (They would, as I work for usps and it's not federally legal)
They were obviously there on a hard day, and weren't looking to make it harder.
Any luck with the tax office?
Honestly does not sound like a legitimate letter to me. Though the specific details in it do have me wondering.
In the end you may need to go to a bank and get a loan to pay the debt... with the house as collateral that shouldn't be too difficult.
Do not call any numbers or use any website on the mail that you got as they could also be fraudulent if it is indeed a scam. Look up the number to your local tax department on the official .gov website.
This does sound scammy but I also believe CA is a state where real estate tax is reassessed at the transfer of ownership. I’m not sure how a trust factors into that but if your grandmother had owned the house for a very long time, even in a bad neighborhood, I would be surprised if the tax did not increase.
It is reassessed on transfer of ownership, but you get a notice from the county tax assessor called a supplemental. It will show the amount of property taxes you've paid since transfer, the new rate, and how much you owe. It will not say you're going to lose your house or anything like that. It can easily be verified by visiting your county assessor's web site.
do not call the number on the letter. Call your county property tax authority directly (or better yet go to the office in person so you know you are in the right place talking to the right people).
If OP doesn't have a scanner at home, pay a couple bucks at a Kinkos or UPS store or something to make like 10 color copies of the letter. It'll cost pennies and be identical to the original to anyone that cares, and they can keep them if they want. It will go a long way to satisfy any need for original paperwork.
We live in the US and got married in Jamaica, so getting copies of our wedding license for name changes was close to impossible. So we made good quality copies of the original and nobody batted an eye when we submitted them for name changes for my wife.
This is the way to go. I have worked in a few city/county treasurer/assessor offices and for it to have no return address or access to more info is shady. For it to have a due date of a month or threat of seizing assets is even more so (unless it's like, the 10th notice they've sent with all others being ignored) Anything involving taxes SHOULD be in the treasurers wheelhouse, not the assessor, at least in the few states I've worked in.
I've never worked in CA, but in general, If money IS owed, county/city treasurers or assessors will usually be pretty generous in how they'll work with you. Payment plans, deferments, etc etc, as long as everything is in good faith.
Because they don't want your house. They already have too much to deal with, they don't want to go through the entire process necessary to take your house and then auction it. It's a pain in the ass, and never worth it. Plus, most people in those offices aren't heartless, and don't actually want people to lose their shit.
Good luck! Hope to see an update soon!
That 100 percent does not sound legitimate. Call the assessor’s department in your city or town tomorrow and make sure that you’re up to date with taxes.
Check over in /r/scams. Posts are made all the time about how as soon as someone takes ownership of a home, the scammers descend to try to convince you there are extra fees.
Most property is acquired with legal help - either as part of an estate or a purchase. Easiest is to forward everything to that lawyer, as it's their job to settle the account.
That's definitely a scam. Anything having to do with property tax will have a legitimate heading on the paperwork and will look extremely official with county seal, the name of the tax collector, etc. They want the money and it won't do a thing to your actual taxes. Google your county tax assessor. The websites have a wealth of information regarding your taxes and usually all you need is the address of the property to find anything out. Again, calling the phone number on the letter will only contact the scammers, not the legitimate tax collector for your county.
It's a scam! However, go to the Trustee..obtain all the legal documents. Transfer the time into a newly incorporated Trust. Do a title search to determine all lien holders. Someone might have scammed your grandma in a QUITCLAIM deed transfer. Go to the county property tax office asap. Take possession of the house asap as well before the squatters move in.
When you inherit a house in California, you inherit her tax assessment due to prop 13. She probably paid peanuts for property tax, so you will inherit that. Call the county assessor for more details.
One of the conflicting legal opinions that have been posted said that only a direct descendant a child whether adult or minor can inherit the prop 13 assessment. I'm not sure that that extends to a grandchild.
Prop 19 changed and virtually undid a lot of prop 13 but only became effective according to another poster in 2021. Apparently prop 19 took away with very few exceptions the ability of adult children to inherit both the home and avoid the reassessment.
Yes it does sound like a scam. Go ahead and go to the county they don't do things like that it has to be in an official envelope if it's from the county and only the county sets delinquencies and fines they would never send it in a plain envelope with no return address.
Go to the county or you could look online and see the tax status.
Was there just a phone number did they tell you where to send the money?
I hope its a scam. I have had a few status changes on my property and then I suddenly started getting scam texts and mail all the time. The scammers are using data from various sources where I live. They are really sophisticated .
Before you do anything, you need to verify that the letter you got in the mail is legit. Seriously, that's the first step. Be 100% certain. People try to pull scams on me left and right, especially through mail, and especially regarding my property.
Agree, this sounds like a scam to me.
If it turns out to be legit though it honestly shouldn't be that big of a deal. I'm sure any bank would loan you 17K against the house.
Yeah, 19k is not house repo money, and especially not in a short timeframe.
I also imagine california house prices must be pretty high, so i doubt 19k to be a significant portion of it. In no world could anyone repo a 500k+ house when 19k is due on it.
100% scam
Reminds me when I helped my wife setup an LLC for her etsy, right after it was setup we got several scam letters that were trying to get us to pay all these 'fees' and 'fines' for things that are suddenly required.
It was all in very very small print on the letters that they were not associated with the state and it was a private business.
Most definitely will start at the tax Assessors Office it sound like you may have some fraud going on or a scam. Because it takes up to a year for them to sell your home. And if your mom was behind on the taxes you probably just need a small mortgage to get caught up then start a escrow account to pay your taxes every year. I'm a realtor but you may want to consult with an attorney as well
Thank you for your help. Ill relay this information. As far as i know my mother pays "rent" to my aunt (the trustee) the money each month goes to the property tax so we both are confused that this came out of nowhere and so sudden.
You can call the trusty attorney they can call a title rep to see if the house is in default. Or you can call a title company Direct or you can look it up under assessors tax defaults In your County.
Going forward, after this is settled, you may want to look into a different arrangement other than this "rent" going to your aunt who then pays property tax.
Also, as a trustee of a trust, you aunt may be required to file reports annually with the court, reporting what money has come in to the trust and from where, and what has gone out of the trust and to where. When you talk to a lawyer from Legal Aid, the lawyer may want to get those reports.
No my family said that a lawyer is too much. I understand where they're coming from. We're trying to get by as best as we can. We recently had 3 family deaths in 3 months back to back. So we're practically drained
I am very concerned that it seems one family member is paying the rent to another family member on a house that you own and that family members are also telling you that it costs too much to seek legal help. I am glad that you plan to go straight to the assessor’s office as a first step to sort this out. Please continue to seek the answers from third parties here — government offices, title company, etc. — even if it’s not possible to hire an attorney. But I second the opinion of everyone who has said that an attorney is less expensive than losing a house. Good luck, OP!
Edit to add: Also concerned that you’ve been told that the estate documents prohibit you from selling the house. Something doesn’t seem right about this situation. Even if it’s a scam, this letter may lead to OP finding out very helpful information in the long run.
I understand, and I am very sorry for your loss. It might seem or turn out to be difficult, but this is "poor" thinking. If you spend $17K you get a "free" house, let's say conservatively it's worth at least $100K. So spend $17K get $100K, profit $83K. Or, sell the house, profit $100K minus fees + unpaid taxes. Do nothing, and lose $100K.
So, don't do nothing. Worst case, sell the house.
Better case, pay the $17K. They are letting you pay in 5K a year installments. You don't have any job? $6K a year for a house is too much? That's $500/month. Can you rent out rooms to help pay? Can you take out a home equity loan with your big asset, the house? Think flexibly and don't just do nothing and lose it. Good luck.
You have equity in the house, I'm betting more than $17k. The bank will loan you the money so they can get their sweet, sweet annual compounded interest.
But first, yes verify this isn't a scam. Go to the tax office and talk to a real person.
You can win this fight, OP. Your gran was looking out for you. We're looking out for you.
I'm sorry if i don't respond to everything I'm currently at work but just know i appreciate and see every single comment, suggestion and advice. Thank you, every single one of you for taking the time out of your day to help. I will update this thread when I can and i will keep everyone updated. I don't think a lot will happen during the next couple of days but im going to speak with my mother and aunt about a plan. Thank you all again.
Maybe consider just talking to your mom first before involving your aunt in the convo? Sorry I don’t mean to make assumptions but you gotta think through all of this and play it safe. Good luck!
Why would they need a lawyer?
OP says it is a random letter they received in the mail with no return address and no date, just a phone number and demanding they pay. Sounds like a pretty obvious scam.
First step is checking in with the tax assessor/collector, not wasting money on a lawyer.
Only if legitimacy is confirmed and all other options exhausted should a lawyer be involved.
You own the house. You can go and find out all this stuff at the assessors office without your Aunt.
ETA: this sounds like a scam so so your due diligence. And talk to legal aid about a lawyer.
Don't trust other people's word or especially their interpretation of legal documentation. Get all these documents yourself and get to work doing research on how this all works. You can handle it. Chat gpt can actually give some good guidance but don't take it 100%, fact check it.
Your aunt should have copies of the tax bills she paid and copies of the cancelled checks or bank statements showing the payments. It is possible that the payments were made to the wrong account so match up the payments with the records at the tax office. Take in the payment records with you.
I received something similar and very official looking after the house was put in my name. It took me by surprise, but I read the fine print, all of it, and realized it was not from a legitimate city or state agency. Do not contact the company anymore. Just check with your local assessor office and make sure you don't owe anything out of the ordinary.
I'm sorry that there's scammers out there that prey upon naive new homeowners. It's reprehensible. But be vigilant. Don't panic. Even if you somehow owed a bunch of money, which I doubt you do, most things can be addressed, negotiated or worked out before it ever comes to homelessness, because as long as there's equity in the home, you'd walk away from a sale with *something* to take into your next chapter. Congratulations on being a homeowner. It's stressful, but it's a nest egg many people don't have.
Are you sure the letter is legitimate? if it is then there should be a phone number where you can call and get answers. you can always look up your tax bill on the county website. it's not hard, yo need your address. that's about it. go to your county website and look up your tax bill make sure it's right.
If you have any income, you may consider a mortgage or other financial tool to pay the loan, while you find a lawyer to help you within your means. I don't know the technical terms here, but there are methods to handle this... the real question is who is telling you owe taxes. If they are a bureaucracy, contact them first. They may help you. But it would likely help if you took a day or two to sort out the way ahead.
Sweetie, I know you're scared and I know you're frustrated -- and I am sure this does not need to be said. But just in case: when you go to the tax assessor's office, please be as kind and patient and forthright as you can. Yes, it's the government; but the people who work there are people just like you, and they can be as helpful to you as they want to be. Just be nice and help them want to help you.
If you don't understand anything, ask questions. Ask for printouts and paperwork. Note the workers' name, and get business cards if you can.
Good luck! From your description, I suspect it's a scam, but you are doing the right thing by checking.
I live in California too and every letter we get regarding our property taxes has LOTS of official contact information all over it. It always has a big header at the top with all our property info like the address, year we bought the house, an official parcel number that the county also has on file. It'll also show how much we've paid and how much we still have for the year.
Try doing a google image search for 'California property tax statement' and you'll find images like this https://i.imgur.com/PDcLrt6.jpeg.
Lol, this is probably true in many places, but I can tell you that our San Diego ones do not look official at all and are regularly mistaken for scam mail. (But looking online to see what the bills/communications ought to look like is good advice!)
See [San Diego Property Tax bills that look like junk mail.](https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/dam/sdc/dpw/SAN_DIEGO_COUNTY_SANITATION_DISTRICT/Rate-Billing/Property%20Tax%20Bill%20Sewer%20Charges%20Sample.pdf) Complete with bright blue and yellow coloring and directing you to pay online at the totally legit sounding www.sdtreastax.com website (which redirects you a different .com website!).
My guess. Your grandmother was paying a low tax bill because she was protected by prop 13. When you inherited the house, it was reappraised and the tax basis was reset.
That is why they claim you owe a lot of taxes.
Now you are entitled to inherit the old tax basis too if you meet the qualifying conditions. This is based on prop 19. But it is up to you to put that claim in with the county tax office and prove to them that you are entitled to it. It is not automatic. If you thought it was, then that is an expensive mistake.
California property taxes do not operate like they do in other states. So don’t take advice from out of state home owners. They don’t know the nuances of prop 13 and prop 19.
Most likely the tax office will require you to pay the new taxes. Then they will refund it if they accept the prop 19 inheritance claim. It may take some time. Like months and months for them to get around to your claim.
I’d get a HELOC, pay the taxes from that, and put in the claim.
I am assuming that you are in Los Angeles County:
https://assessor.lacounty.gov/homeowners/proposition-19
Note. You have a very limited amount of time to make this claim. Do not wait.
If it turns out this is legit and you do owe, since you own the house with no mortgage, if there’s no other option, get a home equity line of credit to pay the taxes.
Tax Professional here. There's lots of questions about what's going in that will need to be asked.
I can't think of a single case prior to Prop 19 in CA, where the family would not inherit the tax basis (assessment term here) from the decedent.
So, in regards to your mother's inheriting of the property, you should be okay. Rules have changed. Things like joint tenancy in common and other ways of holding a share in property can change things entirely. So, if you know it was a simple inheritance to your mother, I'd call the county assessor's office and make some inquiries.
Also, it may be helpful to request a title report if possible. Unpaid taxes will always start as a lien before property is seized. I find it hard to believe that if you went through the process of changing title that you wouldn't have discovered said liens.
Good luck OP!
Edit: it seems you need to transfer property from parent to child to preserve the tax basis, unless your parents are deceased. So that may be part of the problem.
When did your grandma die?
Also, ask your aunt for a copy of the letter. If she won't tell you, use LA country's tax assessor tool online to look up your address. That should help too.
She died about 4 to 5 years ago. My grandmother refused to leave the house to anyone but me she skipped over all her daughters and left it to her grandchild. Then written in the will it was stated that the house was not to be sold. My aunt is the trustee so she takes care of all the paper work relating to the house. The house is to be given to me at 25 but currently I'm 22.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there's a chance you, in fact, did receive a step-up in assessed value.
In the meantime, pull up the address on the county assessor's website to see if the taxes have been paid. There's a chance your aunt was paying the taxes without knowing the amount went up. This would also mean she's been missing 3-5 years of assessment letters, and only a few of them were probably halted due to Covid. By now, this can't be the first letter she's received.
If that's the case, it's not the end of the world. See if you can get access to a tax lawyer (from a legal aid society) to see if they can write a correspondence for you to the assessor to see about forgiving the amount, or entering into some sort of payment plan.
Ignorance of the law is no defense, but in tax matters, this can give you some wiggle room.
I am NOT a tax attorney, but it's also possible that your grandmother's estate is responsible for maintaining the property until it can reach the dispositive provisions of her will. In that case, your assessed value going up makes NO sense at all. (Because it's the possession of the Trust until you turn 25, and control hasn't changed, therefore the assessed rate should remain the same).
It sounds like the 900. Taxes were what your grandmother paid because she had a break due to old age. You guys were paying an incorrect amount. Contact the tax assessors office and ask for options to pay the difference. Rather than lose your home, take out a loan. You need to do it. You make the calls. Worst case scenario, you sell the house. Don't lose it to the state. Even a house in a crappy neighborhood is worth a lot of money in California.
If your grandmother died when you were 17 and you're now 22, there's 5 years of property tax exemption received that shouldnt have been more than likely.
You need to contact the county
I am not a lawyer. I do not give legal advice. This sounds rather scammy - is there a case number? You need to talk to your county assessors office to verify the letter. If they can confirm that they’re about to have a tax auction on your house, you need a lawyer. If not, it’s a scam. You would have received other letters and would have been served with paperwork from the entity with contact info for them multiple times with dates and times to reply and where to send your reply.
Definitely call your local county and not by any number on a letter with no address.
Also payment by gift cards are a scam. (Figure you know this, just making a joke to lighten things)
After you visit the tax assessor, you might want to come back and update, u/[T6RIP6LE6](https://www.reddit.com/user/T6RIP6LE6/). You could get different / better advice based on what you learn.
Please read.
You need to do more then just figure out if the letter is legit or a scam.
The letter sounds like a scam, contract your local govt tax assessors office and ask about the property & if any taxes or debts are owed. Also check the properties title to see if there are any liens or debts owed (sometimes the govt offices can help, sometimes you need to use a title company).
But just as important as figuring out of there is debt owed on the property or not, is that your grandmother left you this property through a trust.
Your grandmother would have been required to set up some very clear & strict directions that the trustee (your aunt) must follow. You should see & read those instructions/ directions from the trust agreement that your grandmother put together.
If your aunt refuses to let you read the trust agreement your grandmother(and her lawyer) created, it could be a sign that your aunt is doing something shaddy.
I would suggest you search for a reddit property trust community and ask questions about what you, as the recipient of a property from a trust should do next, and what type of into you need to get and fully understand.
If the house is yours and yours alone, then you need to take ownership of it. Physically, Financially, legally and mentally.
Read about "Ghost mortgages" and "zombie scam"
You've been hit. Your house is an absolutely perfect mark for those. Read about them and get an attorney. They are stealing your house through a paperwork loophole.
IANAL, but this is a common scam. They’ll use letterheads and even spoof their phone numbers to look legit so you can’t believe caller ID. They tried it on us a couple months back. Call the tax assessors directly.
Make sure this is legitimate, if so, get an agent and sell the property. Pay the balance and purchase a new property later on with the proceeds.
I know a California agent that may be able to help if you’re interested
I wonder if that’s enforceable. That’s a shitty clause to have to leave a house to someone and say they must keep it forever no matter the circumstances.
Answering your question, verify this is legitimate first with the county tax office. If it is, find any way you can to take a loan to borrow the money, even if it’s a HELOC against the house. No matter the interest rate it’s better than losing the house.
The house was completely paid off in california. My grandmother was 69 when she passed. And she was paying 900/yr if it was passed to my mother we wouldn't be in this issue
Your grandmother was paying $900 as per tax assessed on an old home with homeowner living in it, and homeowner being of old age. When property changes hands, it gets re-assessed and assigned a market value and then taxed based on it.
I’ll give you an example of my home. It’s in California, Bay Area. Built in 1950, previous owner was paying about the same as your grandma, because he lived in it all these years and back when he bought it, he bought it cheap. When I bought it, I paid 750,000 for the house. In a few months, I got the tax bill. They had re-assessed and I now owed about 10k in yearly taxes. They also said if I (homeowner) was living in the house, I would get a discount of about 1k. So, I filed proof that I was living there (water bill etc), and that got the tax down to 9k, which I could pay in 2 installments, (April and October). I paid, and have continued to pay this amount yearly. The house has appreciated in value and the next guy who buys it will pay more taxes, but my rate will remain $9k for the foreseeable future (till I get old, and then I might get another discount).
So, it is possible that when property is willed to someone and like a sale, it changes hands, they have to pay higher taxes. To avoid this, people use living estates/trusts, which your grandma didn’t do. So you may be stuck with this high tax bill. On the flip side, you maybe able to deduct this from your income tax filing next year.
Also, if the county sends you a bill, there will be a return address and a .gov website etc. There are a lot of housing related scams. Somehow these companies find out that a house title has changed hands, and they mass mail all sorts of bullshit. Someone wanted me to pay to claim title (which I don’t need to, as escrow company will send it anyways). Someone wanted me to buy home warranty etc etc. these are all scam and be careful of any mail coming to you. You can lookup the county website, find your house by address, find its “parcel number”, and then lookup tax history on that parcel number. It will tell you what you paid, and what you may owe, and will tell you who to contact.
Edit: also, if it was passed to your mother, she would have to pay the higher tax bill too. There is no exception even if it passes to direct children. There is a reason grandma gave it to you. It’s just that grandma didn’t know that even in a paid-off home, there is reassessment and taxes when it changes ownership. You may be able to get a home equity loan on this home. If you have a credit union account or bank account, go talk to them. They will give you a loan against the house for ‘upkeep/repair’. You can use that money to pay the taxes.
Court cases after prop 13 was passed and legislation raised the assessment rate per year to 2% increase allowed each year. Your taxes should be raised year over year even with your basis of prop 13.
You need to talk to a real lawyer- and I am not a lawyer and not your lawyer. Check the county tax assessor’s website to see if there are unpaid taxes on the property. If there are, you call or go to the assessor’s office and try to get time or an extension. I have no idea id that is even possible. But you will need help.
Not that i know of. My grandmother was on a fixed income since she didn't work. She used what money she got from my deceased grandfather to pay the yearly tax and the rest for food and stuff we needed.
I don't know much about this but have seen others talk about it, but in some states, elderly, low-income, or disabled people can get decreased taxes due to their status. But those wouldn't apply to someone else necessarily, and so those benefits (here they are called credits) would cease when she died. If she was getting credits due to her age, disability, income, etc that could be why they are now saying there are back taxes to the year that she died. You would think when the house was transferred to you, that would have been taken care of. It's just one thing to look into to see if it applies in your state. There might also be credits you are eligible for that can reduce the taxes, especially if there is one for low income. In our state you get a credit if your home is homesteaded, meaning if you live there full time (versus a rental property or seasonal/second home).
If you live in the house pay the 5 k a year that's less then 600 a month dude. If u don't u should sell it. Get a loan and pay it quick but sell the house and just rent it seems like you are not working so idk
It sounds like because your grandmother left the house to you and not in a trust, you are being assessed at the current tax rate instead of the rate your grandmother had. Also, the aunt situation sounds a little fishy. She’s the trustee but you own the house? And yet, she’s not giving you crucial information to save a house?
Is it reasonable/possible that property tax on a home in California is only $900? I wonder if there’s some misunderstanding there that is in play here.
Even when a house is gifted, there was property taxes that has to be paid, unpaid before you got possession. Your parents should have been getting notices on how much the taxes were, for that changes every year and is done by the county assessor's office. Your parents were not paying enough on the taxes. There is a deficit that has to be paid or you will lose your house.
As other say, sounds like a scam. There's not such thing as a special tax assessment for public property like that. Now, an HOA might have a special assessment.
This sounds scammy as many have said...
First, the timing is just too convenient. You just took possession of the house and are grieving, they're trying to get you in a moment of weakness in a high stress and emotional part of your life (losing a loved one).
They're targeting you because the change of ownership is public record.
This is a scam. On your property tax bill, the ones your mother has paid, there should be a property identification number or PIN, go to your county website, go to property tax, input your PIN and see if there is money owed. Or you could call them and give them your PIN. Property tax delinquent notices usually come with more info and reference the PIN.
Sounds like a scam. Contact the county assessors office. They’ll help. also, the DA’s office would be interested in whoever is sending out the scam letters. Please update us when you figure it out.
Call the tax assessor and verify that it came from them. Ask them if you have any outstanding debt with them. If not, then I'd ignore it. If you do, then ask them about a payment arrangement to pay back the debt in doable chunks.
Call the local tax office and request a statement of Owings. You should be receiving actual tax bills and receipts. If you are paying the money to your aunt to pay the taxes, she should be able to provide you the appropriate paperwork.
I hate to say it but is it possible your aunt is lying about the letter and paying the taxes?
I would look into whether or not your community does exemptions for seniors. I know Chicago does, so you have to be careful about relying on the tax history, because the tax rate can jump orders of magnitude when a non-senior citizen takes ownership.
Even still, $15,000 plus $5,000/yr for housing is extremely cheap. Use the house as collateral to get a loan, and then just live there paying the equivalent of $420/mo plus utilities, and start saving money for the incoming avalanche of costs that homeowners have to pay.
Scammers just did a similar thing to Graceland.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/weddings/twist-in-elvis-graceland-sale-as-nigerian-scammer-continues-to-contact-media-outlets/ar-BB1ntuUc
Easy to determine if it’s a scam. Who are you paying the money to? If it’s your aunt. She scamming you. If it’s not to the city and some semi bogus payee. Scam. It’s easy fix. Just go down to the city or like others have said in here. Google your county tax accessor.
You should have a stepped up tax basis from your grandmom if inherited. As long as someone paid the tax bill when due, there shouldn’t be any delinquent taxes. Your taxes would only be much higher if you bought it which resets the value. Each state also as homestead where up to a certain amount is tax free so ask about that too. You can only homestead one house and it’s the one you live in.
It's probably a scam, but if it's not, you can probably get a loan because the house is paid off and so has value. Don't procrastinate though. You do not want to risk losing the house because it's likely worth a lot more than 17k. Loans can take time.
Move in
Call the local tax office. If there are legit back taxes, tell them your situation and start paying a little every month to clear it. Go ahead and get the power, water, etc hooked up. Assess and start making repairs and start making it yours.
Move in. Tell the tax accessor what's going on
They work with you because you can vote them out. If they won't work with you, make damn sure everyone in county knows so he gets voted out
FYI this is a bill you want to pay in person. Or give plenty of time and check your accounts to make sure it clears. Mail gets lost they charge for CC's. They will take cash and ask no questions unlike banks.
Pay in person get a receipt. You are welcome
Go to the county assessor website. They’ll be a way to look up the tax history by searching address, parcel number, or owners name. You’ll know in 5 minutes. No need to talk to anyone.
Check the county website for taxes. It will show amount due. Only pay to the tax collector.
Most likely grandmom had a tax credit for being elderly. Now that you own it, tax amount changed.
Get a loan, if possible.
Worst case, place it for sale to save the equity in the home.
You should call the county assessor to find out if this is legit.
Do not call the number on the flyer.
Hell, in my area, you can look up online if you owe taxes. Or if your neighbor owes. Or anyone in the county. Its public record here.
I wouldn't let the account the assessor's office know that your grandmother died just check out the tax status and you can do that online before you go down there.
Bad news; Tl;dr you were reassessed upon the date of death of your grandmother per the terms of the trust (when the property was transferred to you).
In more detail, You will not qualify for the grand parent to grand child exclusion based on the fact that your mother (the middle link) was alive upon the date of death of your grandma (unless your grandma was from your father’s side; there is 1 case that might save your bacon ).
Whether this letter is valid or not, you will still need to prepare for a larger tax bill (tbh it appears that this is the case, the values sound about right for a missed assessment bill over 5 years old.)
Go to Kenneth Hanh Hall of admin, on the south side entrance(hill st.) they have the assessor, treasurer and tax collector. (Or your local assessor’s branch if you are closer to them.?
I believe there are ways to do a payment plan, you will need to talk to the tax collector.
Thanks prop 13! And I’m sorry, I don’t have better news.
Your aunt is the trustee and the person who presented you with the suspicious letter? How long has she been the trustee? Isn't she responsible for managing the assets and has a fiduciary responsibility to you the beneficiary? I believe you have a right to see the trust. You most certainly should contact an attorney. Based on the information you've provided I would be skeptical of the advice your family and aunt are providing. I would start with free legal advice. They may be able to help you or help find someone who can. https://www.calbar.ca.gov/Public/Need-Legal-Help/Free-Legal-Help
Most places will only take a home for a tax sale after a certain number of years being behind - three in my area. This means as long as you pay one year's worth, you've got time to pull together another year's worth (or better, a year and a half so you can get caught up.)
Keep your aunt out of any visits to county! She could be behind the scam. It is also possible that she is not, but until you know for sure, do this on your own.
Sounds like a potential scam to me, follow the directions already here on contacting the title company, county tax assessor and when needed the police.
Do not reply to the letter or send them any cash, they can not simply take your house, they would need to sue you, goto court, win the case and the judge will tell you what you need to do.
If it is legit, you can setup a payment plan
You have already received some great advice ranging from ensuring this isn't a scam and so on.
The other part is your family might try to scam you. There could easily be bad blood that you inherited a house. Make sure your aunt isn't trying to fool you by giving up a house because you can't come up with some arbitrary amount of money.
This sounds like a common scam, call your local tax assessor office and they will tell you if the property has a tax bill. Do not pay anyone. The tax office will not call you or reach out, and they cannot sell the home by the end of the month. This is a common scam, I promise you are alright and just take a deep breath and ignore letters like that in the mail.
I’m not a legal expert or lawyer but used to work in title insurance in CA. Based on this limited information, it sounds like you’re the target of a scam. In CA generally you can ask a title company (or realtor, who will ask a title company) to check the “chain of title” and tax history. Any valid liens being foreclosed on should have associated notices of record, well in advance of you losing title to the property. If it is being foreclosed, there would be a date at which the home is to be sold at auction. If that does happen, the owner is generally entitled to any remaining proceeds of the sale after the outstanding debt is satisfied.
It was a letter with no return address or date. It arrived and i was told by my aunt who is the trustee. We called to find more info regarding the debt and was just told to pay the balance.
Does not sound legit at all. Google “[Your County] tax collector.” They should have a number you can call and/or location you can visit to find out if you have any outstanding property tax debt.
Thank you for helping me. This somewhat lessens the stress
If it is not legit then get the police involved. There’s probably a scam ring running around or someone close to the family is grifting.
Postal inspectors. It came via mail. It's mail fraud. This is one of the things the PIs *do* take seriously 1 877 876 2455
As someone who worked for a company that got raided by Postal Authority, they do not mess around.
As someone who didn’t even know she was being scammed, the postal inspectors straightened everything out and only informed me when the man was sentenced to prison. I had zero stress because I was completely in the dark until I received a certified letter detailing the crime. They do not play. They have one job (protect the mail service) and they do it well.
Things I learned from Brooklyn 99.
It's actually pronounced *Donger*.
They're currently investigating Matt perry's death cuz the drugs came via the mail
98% conviction rate too. You do NOT fuck with the postal inspectors
To be fair, they ALWAYS have a paper trail
They're pretty nice too. They don't care about shit that doesn't matter. Like I answered the door to two postal inspectors one time with a giant blunt in my hand, in an illegal state. They didn't give a shit. (They would, as I work for usps and it's not federally legal) They were obviously there on a hard day, and weren't looking to make it harder.
His aunt said it came via mail. Could she be pissed OP got left the house and not her?
I surely hope his aunt isn’t trying to scam him. That’s much worse than a stranger in another country.
Please let us know what happens?
I'll do my best to keep it updated. My bad im just working
Remind me in 3 days
Any luck with the tax office? Honestly does not sound like a legitimate letter to me. Though the specific details in it do have me wondering. In the end you may need to go to a bank and get a loan to pay the debt... with the house as collateral that shouldn't be too difficult.
remind me in two days
Remind me in two days
Do not call any numbers or use any website on the mail that you got as they could also be fraudulent if it is indeed a scam. Look up the number to your local tax department on the official .gov website.
This does sound scammy but I also believe CA is a state where real estate tax is reassessed at the transfer of ownership. I’m not sure how a trust factors into that but if your grandmother had owned the house for a very long time, even in a bad neighborhood, I would be surprised if the tax did not increase.
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Yes, or look it up on the county assessor web page. Don’t call the number on the sketchy paper.
It is reassessed on transfer of ownership, but you get a notice from the county tax assessor called a supplemental. It will show the amount of property taxes you've paid since transfer, the new rate, and how much you owe. It will not say you're going to lose your house or anything like that. It can easily be verified by visiting your county assessor's web site.
Contact the county assessor's office to be on the safe side. Do not go by the advice on the reddit without checking it out first.
You can likely do all of this on your county’s website
do not call the number on the letter. Call your county property tax authority directly (or better yet go to the office in person so you know you are in the right place talking to the right people).
Am planning to go into the office
Even better. Also take the letter with you. An employee can probably confirm that it’s not something that they would have sent.
Take a picture of the letter with your phone, so you have a copy, then take the letter with envelope to the tax assessor's office with you.
If OP doesn't have a scanner at home, pay a couple bucks at a Kinkos or UPS store or something to make like 10 color copies of the letter. It'll cost pennies and be identical to the original to anyone that cares, and they can keep them if they want. It will go a long way to satisfy any need for original paperwork. We live in the US and got married in Jamaica, so getting copies of our wedding license for name changes was close to impossible. So we made good quality copies of the original and nobody batted an eye when we submitted them for name changes for my wife.
You can also send the scan to your email for extra backup
You can also scan documents from a smartphone using the Notes app. The quality is the same as a scanner.
whoa! thanks for the tip
Mostly the same. It's harder to mitigate shadows and other errant things that a scanner bed takes care of.
I downloaded the free version of Genius scan on my phone and use that.
Let us know how it goes. Good luck.
Good luck brother sounds like you may have dodged a bullet
This is the way to go. I have worked in a few city/county treasurer/assessor offices and for it to have no return address or access to more info is shady. For it to have a due date of a month or threat of seizing assets is even more so (unless it's like, the 10th notice they've sent with all others being ignored) Anything involving taxes SHOULD be in the treasurers wheelhouse, not the assessor, at least in the few states I've worked in. I've never worked in CA, but in general, If money IS owed, county/city treasurers or assessors will usually be pretty generous in how they'll work with you. Payment plans, deferments, etc etc, as long as everything is in good faith. Because they don't want your house. They already have too much to deal with, they don't want to go through the entire process necessary to take your house and then auction it. It's a pain in the ass, and never worth it. Plus, most people in those offices aren't heartless, and don't actually want people to lose their shit. Good luck! Hope to see an update soon!
100% a scam. You should be able to look up the tax history online
Yeah, no. Any letter from a government agency, *particularly* a demand letter, will have a return address and a date.
And it will be very specific about what the next thing to happen will be, any deadlines, etc.
And won't ask for payment in Itunes gift cards.
That 100 percent does not sound legitimate. Call the assessor’s department in your city or town tomorrow and make sure that you’re up to date with taxes.
Do you trust your aunt
Exactly
Check over in /r/scams. Posts are made all the time about how as soon as someone takes ownership of a home, the scammers descend to try to convince you there are extra fees. Most property is acquired with legal help - either as part of an estate or a purchase. Easiest is to forward everything to that lawyer, as it's their job to settle the account.
No return address is a scam
That's definitely a scam. Anything having to do with property tax will have a legitimate heading on the paperwork and will look extremely official with county seal, the name of the tax collector, etc. They want the money and it won't do a thing to your actual taxes. Google your county tax assessor. The websites have a wealth of information regarding your taxes and usually all you need is the address of the property to find anything out. Again, calling the phone number on the letter will only contact the scammers, not the legitimate tax collector for your county.
It's a scam! However, go to the Trustee..obtain all the legal documents. Transfer the time into a newly incorporated Trust. Do a title search to determine all lien holders. Someone might have scammed your grandma in a QUITCLAIM deed transfer. Go to the county property tax office asap. Take possession of the house asap as well before the squatters move in.
When you inherit a house in California, you inherit her tax assessment due to prop 13. She probably paid peanuts for property tax, so you will inherit that. Call the county assessor for more details.
One of the conflicting legal opinions that have been posted said that only a direct descendant a child whether adult or minor can inherit the prop 13 assessment. I'm not sure that that extends to a grandchild.
It is my understanding that the prop 13 assessment NOW only applys if you were on title prior to 2019 and you had to reside in the home.
Prop 19 changed and virtually undid a lot of prop 13 but only became effective according to another poster in 2021. Apparently prop 19 took away with very few exceptions the ability of adult children to inherit both the home and avoid the reassessment.
Envy and greed changed the ability to leave a legacy for your children. This proposition was suposed to only alter commercial property.
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Yes it does sound like a scam. Go ahead and go to the county they don't do things like that it has to be in an official envelope if it's from the county and only the county sets delinquencies and fines they would never send it in a plain envelope with no return address. Go to the county or you could look online and see the tax status. Was there just a phone number did they tell you where to send the money?
No return address or date and you think this is legitimately sent by a legal entity?
Dude go easy the OP is just a kid man.
Yeah super scammy
I hope its a scam. I have had a few status changes on my property and then I suddenly started getting scam texts and mail all the time. The scammers are using data from various sources where I live. They are really sophisticated .
Before you do anything, you need to verify that the letter you got in the mail is legit. Seriously, that's the first step. Be 100% certain. People try to pull scams on me left and right, especially through mail, and especially regarding my property.
I'll have to verify when i get back to my house.
Agree, this sounds like a scam to me. If it turns out to be legit though it honestly shouldn't be that big of a deal. I'm sure any bank would loan you 17K against the house.
Yeah, 19k is not house repo money, and especially not in a short timeframe. I also imagine california house prices must be pretty high, so i doubt 19k to be a significant portion of it. In no world could anyone repo a 500k+ house when 19k is due on it. 100% scam
Reminds me when I helped my wife setup an LLC for her etsy, right after it was setup we got several scam letters that were trying to get us to pay all these 'fees' and 'fines' for things that are suddenly required. It was all in very very small print on the letters that they were not associated with the state and it was a private business.
Most definitely will start at the tax Assessors Office it sound like you may have some fraud going on or a scam. Because it takes up to a year for them to sell your home. And if your mom was behind on the taxes you probably just need a small mortgage to get caught up then start a escrow account to pay your taxes every year. I'm a realtor but you may want to consult with an attorney as well
Thank you for your help. Ill relay this information. As far as i know my mother pays "rent" to my aunt (the trustee) the money each month goes to the property tax so we both are confused that this came out of nowhere and so sudden.
Your aunt is pocketing the rent and not paying property taxes.
That might be the case, will scroll down for more thoughts
You can call the trusty attorney they can call a title rep to see if the house is in default. Or you can call a title company Direct or you can look it up under assessors tax defaults In your County.
I'll note down all these things thank you
Going forward, after this is settled, you may want to look into a different arrangement other than this "rent" going to your aunt who then pays property tax. Also, as a trustee of a trust, you aunt may be required to file reports annually with the court, reporting what money has come in to the trust and from where, and what has gone out of the trust and to where. When you talk to a lawyer from Legal Aid, the lawyer may want to get those reports.
Do they want you to pay the money in gift cards? No one tells you "you can't get a lawyer because it's too much." That's a clear sign of illegitimacy.
No my family said that a lawyer is too much. I understand where they're coming from. We're trying to get by as best as we can. We recently had 3 family deaths in 3 months back to back. So we're practically drained
I am very concerned that it seems one family member is paying the rent to another family member on a house that you own and that family members are also telling you that it costs too much to seek legal help. I am glad that you plan to go straight to the assessor’s office as a first step to sort this out. Please continue to seek the answers from third parties here — government offices, title company, etc. — even if it’s not possible to hire an attorney. But I second the opinion of everyone who has said that an attorney is less expensive than losing a house. Good luck, OP! Edit to add: Also concerned that you’ve been told that the estate documents prohibit you from selling the house. Something doesn’t seem right about this situation. Even if it’s a scam, this letter may lead to OP finding out very helpful information in the long run.
yes and OP, don’t tell anyone where you’re going or update them.
I understand, and I am very sorry for your loss. It might seem or turn out to be difficult, but this is "poor" thinking. If you spend $17K you get a "free" house, let's say conservatively it's worth at least $100K. So spend $17K get $100K, profit $83K. Or, sell the house, profit $100K minus fees + unpaid taxes. Do nothing, and lose $100K. So, don't do nothing. Worst case, sell the house. Better case, pay the $17K. They are letting you pay in 5K a year installments. You don't have any job? $6K a year for a house is too much? That's $500/month. Can you rent out rooms to help pay? Can you take out a home equity loan with your big asset, the house? Think flexibly and don't just do nothing and lose it. Good luck.
You have equity in the house, I'm betting more than $17k. The bank will loan you the money so they can get their sweet, sweet annual compounded interest. But first, yes verify this isn't a scam. Go to the tax office and talk to a real person. You can win this fight, OP. Your gran was looking out for you. We're looking out for you.
I'm actively working a job rn to pay and help out.
I'm sorry if i don't respond to everything I'm currently at work but just know i appreciate and see every single comment, suggestion and advice. Thank you, every single one of you for taking the time out of your day to help. I will update this thread when I can and i will keep everyone updated. I don't think a lot will happen during the next couple of days but im going to speak with my mother and aunt about a plan. Thank you all again.
Maybe consider just talking to your mom first before involving your aunt in the convo? Sorry I don’t mean to make assumptions but you gotta think through all of this and play it safe. Good luck!
Ask r/scams if this is a common ruse. The urgency, the lack of details and a return address all sound sketchy
The urgency in particular makes this have a funny smell to it
This is an excellent idea, u/T6RIP6LE6
You need a lawyer
Why would they need a lawyer? OP says it is a random letter they received in the mail with no return address and no date, just a phone number and demanding they pay. Sounds like a pretty obvious scam. First step is checking in with the tax assessor/collector, not wasting money on a lawyer. Only if legitimacy is confirmed and all other options exhausted should a lawyer be involved.
We are a low income family and i doubt we have the money to get a lawyer. I proposed this idea and they told me it would cost too much.
https://www.calbar.ca.gov/Public/Need-Legal-Help/Free-Legal-Help
Did a lawyer tell you this?
I was informed by a letter in the mail.
It might be a scam. Call them, but look up the number, don't use the one on the letter. You can't afford to not have a lawyer!
Who’s the letter from? Are they claiming to have purchased a tax lean? There should be records in the recorders office documenting any lien.
I don't know 100% of the info due to my aunt being the trustee and she keeps that stuff to herself. I plan to reach out and talk to her.
You own the house. You can go and find out all this stuff at the assessors office without your Aunt. ETA: this sounds like a scam so so your due diligence. And talk to legal aid about a lawyer.
Don't trust other people's word or especially their interpretation of legal documentation. Get all these documents yourself and get to work doing research on how this all works. You can handle it. Chat gpt can actually give some good guidance but don't take it 100%, fact check it.
If you already have the house, what role is your aunt playing?
No, please go to the City and get your information. Keep your aunt out of it. This could be her doing...
Your aunt should have copies of the tax bills she paid and copies of the cancelled checks or bank statements showing the payments. It is possible that the payments were made to the wrong account so match up the payments with the records at the tax office. Take in the payment records with you.
I received something similar and very official looking after the house was put in my name. It took me by surprise, but I read the fine print, all of it, and realized it was not from a legitimate city or state agency. Do not contact the company anymore. Just check with your local assessor office and make sure you don't owe anything out of the ordinary. I'm sorry that there's scammers out there that prey upon naive new homeowners. It's reprehensible. But be vigilant. Don't panic. Even if you somehow owed a bunch of money, which I doubt you do, most things can be addressed, negotiated or worked out before it ever comes to homelessness, because as long as there's equity in the home, you'd walk away from a sale with *something* to take into your next chapter. Congratulations on being a homeowner. It's stressful, but it's a nest egg many people don't have.
Are you sure the letter is legitimate? if it is then there should be a phone number where you can call and get answers. you can always look up your tax bill on the county website. it's not hard, yo need your address. that's about it. go to your county website and look up your tax bill make sure it's right.
If you have any income, you may consider a mortgage or other financial tool to pay the loan, while you find a lawyer to help you within your means. I don't know the technical terms here, but there are methods to handle this... the real question is who is telling you owe taxes. If they are a bureaucracy, contact them first. They may help you. But it would likely help if you took a day or two to sort out the way ahead.
We are planning to go to the LA county tax assessment building since everyone over the phone hasn't been helpful
Sweetie, I know you're scared and I know you're frustrated -- and I am sure this does not need to be said. But just in case: when you go to the tax assessor's office, please be as kind and patient and forthright as you can. Yes, it's the government; but the people who work there are people just like you, and they can be as helpful to you as they want to be. Just be nice and help them want to help you. If you don't understand anything, ask questions. Ask for printouts and paperwork. Note the workers' name, and get business cards if you can. Good luck! From your description, I suspect it's a scam, but you are doing the right thing by checking.
I always do my best to be as kind as i can. You can't expect to get answers if your rude.
Great advice.
That is a good idea. I hope you get answers there. My tax office is usually forthcoming when I show up.
A lawyer is way cheaper than losing a whole house.
yeah. You have a house. If that debt is legitimate, it is still gonna be far cheaper than renting, much less buying another house. Don’t give up!
I live in California too and every letter we get regarding our property taxes has LOTS of official contact information all over it. It always has a big header at the top with all our property info like the address, year we bought the house, an official parcel number that the county also has on file. It'll also show how much we've paid and how much we still have for the year. Try doing a google image search for 'California property tax statement' and you'll find images like this https://i.imgur.com/PDcLrt6.jpeg.
Lol, this is probably true in many places, but I can tell you that our San Diego ones do not look official at all and are regularly mistaken for scam mail. (But looking online to see what the bills/communications ought to look like is good advice!) See [San Diego Property Tax bills that look like junk mail.](https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/dam/sdc/dpw/SAN_DIEGO_COUNTY_SANITATION_DISTRICT/Rate-Billing/Property%20Tax%20Bill%20Sewer%20Charges%20Sample.pdf) Complete with bright blue and yellow coloring and directing you to pay online at the totally legit sounding www.sdtreastax.com website (which redirects you a different .com website!).
My guess. Your grandmother was paying a low tax bill because she was protected by prop 13. When you inherited the house, it was reappraised and the tax basis was reset. That is why they claim you owe a lot of taxes. Now you are entitled to inherit the old tax basis too if you meet the qualifying conditions. This is based on prop 19. But it is up to you to put that claim in with the county tax office and prove to them that you are entitled to it. It is not automatic. If you thought it was, then that is an expensive mistake. California property taxes do not operate like they do in other states. So don’t take advice from out of state home owners. They don’t know the nuances of prop 13 and prop 19. Most likely the tax office will require you to pay the new taxes. Then they will refund it if they accept the prop 19 inheritance claim. It may take some time. Like months and months for them to get around to your claim. I’d get a HELOC, pay the taxes from that, and put in the claim. I am assuming that you are in Los Angeles County: https://assessor.lacounty.gov/homeowners/proposition-19 Note. You have a very limited amount of time to make this claim. Do not wait.
Contact local law clinics or legal aid. You need a lawyer.... It could be a scam too.
If the house is in your name, perhaps you can take out a home equity loan.
Thank you for the idea. I'm very grateful
The first thing I would do is drive my happy ass straight to that tax assessors office and start with a face to face discussion.
If it turns out this is legit and you do owe, since you own the house with no mortgage, if there’s no other option, get a home equity line of credit to pay the taxes.
I work for a county treasurer Ohio collecting delinquent taxes. It depends on the situation but it was possible to setup payment plans.
Who is “they”?
Borrow the money against the house. The payment should be small. The house is the collateral. Just make all of the payments on time.
Tax Professional here. There's lots of questions about what's going in that will need to be asked. I can't think of a single case prior to Prop 19 in CA, where the family would not inherit the tax basis (assessment term here) from the decedent. So, in regards to your mother's inheriting of the property, you should be okay. Rules have changed. Things like joint tenancy in common and other ways of holding a share in property can change things entirely. So, if you know it was a simple inheritance to your mother, I'd call the county assessor's office and make some inquiries. Also, it may be helpful to request a title report if possible. Unpaid taxes will always start as a lien before property is seized. I find it hard to believe that if you went through the process of changing title that you wouldn't have discovered said liens. Good luck OP! Edit: it seems you need to transfer property from parent to child to preserve the tax basis, unless your parents are deceased. So that may be part of the problem. When did your grandma die? Also, ask your aunt for a copy of the letter. If she won't tell you, use LA country's tax assessor tool online to look up your address. That should help too.
She died about 4 to 5 years ago. My grandmother refused to leave the house to anyone but me she skipped over all her daughters and left it to her grandchild. Then written in the will it was stated that the house was not to be sold. My aunt is the trustee so she takes care of all the paper work relating to the house. The house is to be given to me at 25 but currently I'm 22.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there's a chance you, in fact, did receive a step-up in assessed value. In the meantime, pull up the address on the county assessor's website to see if the taxes have been paid. There's a chance your aunt was paying the taxes without knowing the amount went up. This would also mean she's been missing 3-5 years of assessment letters, and only a few of them were probably halted due to Covid. By now, this can't be the first letter she's received. If that's the case, it's not the end of the world. See if you can get access to a tax lawyer (from a legal aid society) to see if they can write a correspondence for you to the assessor to see about forgiving the amount, or entering into some sort of payment plan. Ignorance of the law is no defense, but in tax matters, this can give you some wiggle room. I am NOT a tax attorney, but it's also possible that your grandmother's estate is responsible for maintaining the property until it can reach the dispositive provisions of her will. In that case, your assessed value going up makes NO sense at all. (Because it's the possession of the Trust until you turn 25, and control hasn't changed, therefore the assessed rate should remain the same).
Definitely call your County tax assessors office number. Probably a scam. Unless possibly you’ve been underpaying the property tax.
It sounds like the 900. Taxes were what your grandmother paid because she had a break due to old age. You guys were paying an incorrect amount. Contact the tax assessors office and ask for options to pay the difference. Rather than lose your home, take out a loan. You need to do it. You make the calls. Worst case scenario, you sell the house. Don't lose it to the state. Even a house in a crappy neighborhood is worth a lot of money in California.
If your grandmother died when you were 17 and you're now 22, there's 5 years of property tax exemption received that shouldnt have been more than likely. You need to contact the county
I am not a lawyer. I do not give legal advice. This sounds rather scammy - is there a case number? You need to talk to your county assessors office to verify the letter. If they can confirm that they’re about to have a tax auction on your house, you need a lawyer. If not, it’s a scam. You would have received other letters and would have been served with paperwork from the entity with contact info for them multiple times with dates and times to reply and where to send your reply.
Definitely call your local county and not by any number on a letter with no address. Also payment by gift cards are a scam. (Figure you know this, just making a joke to lighten things)
After you visit the tax assessor, you might want to come back and update, u/[T6RIP6LE6](https://www.reddit.com/user/T6RIP6LE6/). You could get different / better advice based on what you learn.
Please read. You need to do more then just figure out if the letter is legit or a scam. The letter sounds like a scam, contract your local govt tax assessors office and ask about the property & if any taxes or debts are owed. Also check the properties title to see if there are any liens or debts owed (sometimes the govt offices can help, sometimes you need to use a title company). But just as important as figuring out of there is debt owed on the property or not, is that your grandmother left you this property through a trust. Your grandmother would have been required to set up some very clear & strict directions that the trustee (your aunt) must follow. You should see & read those instructions/ directions from the trust agreement that your grandmother put together. If your aunt refuses to let you read the trust agreement your grandmother(and her lawyer) created, it could be a sign that your aunt is doing something shaddy. I would suggest you search for a reddit property trust community and ask questions about what you, as the recipient of a property from a trust should do next, and what type of into you need to get and fully understand. If the house is yours and yours alone, then you need to take ownership of it. Physically, Financially, legally and mentally.
Read about "Ghost mortgages" and "zombie scam" You've been hit. Your house is an absolutely perfect mark for those. Read about them and get an attorney. They are stealing your house through a paperwork loophole.
IANAL, but this is a common scam. They’ll use letterheads and even spoof their phone numbers to look legit so you can’t believe caller ID. They tried it on us a couple months back. Call the tax assessors directly.
Make sure this is legitimate, if so, get an agent and sell the property. Pay the balance and purchase a new property later on with the proceeds. I know a California agent that may be able to help if you’re interested
In the will it's stated that the house is not to be sold.
I wonder if that’s enforceable. That’s a shitty clause to have to leave a house to someone and say they must keep it forever no matter the circumstances. Answering your question, verify this is legitimate first with the county tax office. If it is, find any way you can to take a loan to borrow the money, even if it’s a HELOC against the house. No matter the interest rate it’s better than losing the house.
Tough one, definitely speak with a lawyer
I don't know anywhere that taxes are $900/yr. Perhaps there was a special rate for an elderly person who owned the house, but that dies with her.
The house was completely paid off in california. My grandmother was 69 when she passed. And she was paying 900/yr if it was passed to my mother we wouldn't be in this issue
Your grandmother was paying $900 as per tax assessed on an old home with homeowner living in it, and homeowner being of old age. When property changes hands, it gets re-assessed and assigned a market value and then taxed based on it. I’ll give you an example of my home. It’s in California, Bay Area. Built in 1950, previous owner was paying about the same as your grandma, because he lived in it all these years and back when he bought it, he bought it cheap. When I bought it, I paid 750,000 for the house. In a few months, I got the tax bill. They had re-assessed and I now owed about 10k in yearly taxes. They also said if I (homeowner) was living in the house, I would get a discount of about 1k. So, I filed proof that I was living there (water bill etc), and that got the tax down to 9k, which I could pay in 2 installments, (April and October). I paid, and have continued to pay this amount yearly. The house has appreciated in value and the next guy who buys it will pay more taxes, but my rate will remain $9k for the foreseeable future (till I get old, and then I might get another discount). So, it is possible that when property is willed to someone and like a sale, it changes hands, they have to pay higher taxes. To avoid this, people use living estates/trusts, which your grandma didn’t do. So you may be stuck with this high tax bill. On the flip side, you maybe able to deduct this from your income tax filing next year. Also, if the county sends you a bill, there will be a return address and a .gov website etc. There are a lot of housing related scams. Somehow these companies find out that a house title has changed hands, and they mass mail all sorts of bullshit. Someone wanted me to pay to claim title (which I don’t need to, as escrow company will send it anyways). Someone wanted me to buy home warranty etc etc. these are all scam and be careful of any mail coming to you. You can lookup the county website, find your house by address, find its “parcel number”, and then lookup tax history on that parcel number. It will tell you what you paid, and what you may owe, and will tell you who to contact. Edit: also, if it was passed to your mother, she would have to pay the higher tax bill too. There is no exception even if it passes to direct children. There is a reason grandma gave it to you. It’s just that grandma didn’t know that even in a paid-off home, there is reassessment and taxes when it changes ownership. You may be able to get a home equity loan on this home. If you have a credit union account or bank account, go talk to them. They will give you a loan against the house for ‘upkeep/repair’. You can use that money to pay the taxes.
Court cases after prop 13 was passed and legislation raised the assessment rate per year to 2% increase allowed each year. Your taxes should be raised year over year even with your basis of prop 13.
Mine are!
Mine are $700/yr. $1400 sf stick built home on 1 acre.
You need to talk to a real lawyer- and I am not a lawyer and not your lawyer. Check the county tax assessor’s website to see if there are unpaid taxes on the property. If there are, you call or go to the assessor’s office and try to get time or an extension. I have no idea id that is even possible. But you will need help.
Are there outstanding property taxes due on it?
Not that i know of. My grandmother was on a fixed income since she didn't work. She used what money she got from my deceased grandfather to pay the yearly tax and the rest for food and stuff we needed.
I don't know much about this but have seen others talk about it, but in some states, elderly, low-income, or disabled people can get decreased taxes due to their status. But those wouldn't apply to someone else necessarily, and so those benefits (here they are called credits) would cease when she died. If she was getting credits due to her age, disability, income, etc that could be why they are now saying there are back taxes to the year that she died. You would think when the house was transferred to you, that would have been taken care of. It's just one thing to look into to see if it applies in your state. There might also be credits you are eligible for that can reduce the taxes, especially if there is one for low income. In our state you get a credit if your home is homesteaded, meaning if you live there full time (versus a rental property or seasonal/second home).
If you live in the house pay the 5 k a year that's less then 600 a month dude. If u don't u should sell it. Get a loan and pay it quick but sell the house and just rent it seems like you are not working so idk
It sounds like because your grandmother left the house to you and not in a trust, you are being assessed at the current tax rate instead of the rate your grandmother had. Also, the aunt situation sounds a little fishy. She’s the trustee but you own the house? And yet, she’s not giving you crucial information to save a house?
Please post this on the ask a lawyer sub-reddit. They should be able to aim you in the right direction
It's nonsense. Don't pay anything. Contact the county tax assessor
Is it reasonable/possible that property tax on a home in California is only $900? I wonder if there’s some misunderstanding there that is in play here.
100% scam. Do not call any number or send money.
You can easily get a home equity loan if the house is paid for and make the account current. But as others have said, this sounds like a scam.
Even when a house is gifted, there was property taxes that has to be paid, unpaid before you got possession. Your parents should have been getting notices on how much the taxes were, for that changes every year and is done by the county assessor's office. Your parents were not paying enough on the taxes. There is a deficit that has to be paid or you will lose your house.
As other say, sounds like a scam. There's not such thing as a special tax assessment for public property like that. Now, an HOA might have a special assessment.
This sounds scammy as many have said... First, the timing is just too convenient. You just took possession of the house and are grieving, they're trying to get you in a moment of weakness in a high stress and emotional part of your life (losing a loved one). They're targeting you because the change of ownership is public record.
This is a scam. On your property tax bill, the ones your mother has paid, there should be a property identification number or PIN, go to your county website, go to property tax, input your PIN and see if there is money owed. Or you could call them and give them your PIN. Property tax delinquent notices usually come with more info and reference the PIN.
Sounds like a scam. Contact the county assessors office. They’ll help. also, the DA’s office would be interested in whoever is sending out the scam letters. Please update us when you figure it out.
Scam. Call the tax office. No one listed on the letter.
Appeal. Get comps appeal. You were not responsible for this debt.
Call the tax assessor and verify that it came from them. Ask them if you have any outstanding debt with them. If not, then I'd ignore it. If you do, then ask them about a payment arrangement to pay back the debt in doable chunks.
Go down to the tax assessment office and ask about the taxes for your property. It is pretty easy to find out in MI.
Do not reply to the number or name provided in the letter!
Reach out to an estate attorney.
Call the local tax office and request a statement of Owings. You should be receiving actual tax bills and receipts. If you are paying the money to your aunt to pay the taxes, she should be able to provide you the appropriate paperwork. I hate to say it but is it possible your aunt is lying about the letter and paying the taxes?
Sounds like a scam girl
Post in r/scams
I would look into whether or not your community does exemptions for seniors. I know Chicago does, so you have to be careful about relying on the tax history, because the tax rate can jump orders of magnitude when a non-senior citizen takes ownership. Even still, $15,000 plus $5,000/yr for housing is extremely cheap. Use the house as collateral to get a loan, and then just live there paying the equivalent of $420/mo plus utilities, and start saving money for the incoming avalanche of costs that homeowners have to pay.
Scammers just did a similar thing to Graceland. https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/weddings/twist-in-elvis-graceland-sale-as-nigerian-scammer-continues-to-contact-media-outlets/ar-BB1ntuUc
Easy to determine if it’s a scam. Who are you paying the money to? If it’s your aunt. She scamming you. If it’s not to the city and some semi bogus payee. Scam. It’s easy fix. Just go down to the city or like others have said in here. Google your county tax accessor.
You should have a stepped up tax basis from your grandmom if inherited. As long as someone paid the tax bill when due, there shouldn’t be any delinquent taxes. Your taxes would only be much higher if you bought it which resets the value. Each state also as homestead where up to a certain amount is tax free so ask about that too. You can only homestead one house and it’s the one you live in.
It’s a scam
It's probably a scam, but if it's not, you can probably get a loan because the house is paid off and so has value. Don't procrastinate though. You do not want to risk losing the house because it's likely worth a lot more than 17k. Loans can take time.
How are you 22 and falling for a scam like this?
Move in Call the local tax office. If there are legit back taxes, tell them your situation and start paying a little every month to clear it. Go ahead and get the power, water, etc hooked up. Assess and start making repairs and start making it yours.
Move in. Tell the tax accessor what's going on They work with you because you can vote them out. If they won't work with you, make damn sure everyone in county knows so he gets voted out
FYI this is a bill you want to pay in person. Or give plenty of time and check your accounts to make sure it clears. Mail gets lost they charge for CC's. They will take cash and ask no questions unlike banks. Pay in person get a receipt. You are welcome
Go to the county assessor website. They’ll be a way to look up the tax history by searching address, parcel number, or owners name. You’ll know in 5 minutes. No need to talk to anyone.
Check the county website for taxes. It will show amount due. Only pay to the tax collector. Most likely grandmom had a tax credit for being elderly. Now that you own it, tax amount changed. Get a loan, if possible. Worst case, place it for sale to save the equity in the home.
Scammers tried to get Graceland, so get a LAWYER
You should call the county assessor to find out if this is legit. Do not call the number on the flyer. Hell, in my area, you can look up online if you owe taxes. Or if your neighbor owes. Or anyone in the county. Its public record here.
I wouldn't let the account the assessor's office know that your grandmother died just check out the tax status and you can do that online before you go down there.
scam. just ignore
Bad news; Tl;dr you were reassessed upon the date of death of your grandmother per the terms of the trust (when the property was transferred to you). In more detail, You will not qualify for the grand parent to grand child exclusion based on the fact that your mother (the middle link) was alive upon the date of death of your grandma (unless your grandma was from your father’s side; there is 1 case that might save your bacon ). Whether this letter is valid or not, you will still need to prepare for a larger tax bill (tbh it appears that this is the case, the values sound about right for a missed assessment bill over 5 years old.) Go to Kenneth Hanh Hall of admin, on the south side entrance(hill st.) they have the assessor, treasurer and tax collector. (Or your local assessor’s branch if you are closer to them.? I believe there are ways to do a payment plan, you will need to talk to the tax collector. Thanks prop 13! And I’m sorry, I don’t have better news.
Your aunt is the trustee and the person who presented you with the suspicious letter? How long has she been the trustee? Isn't she responsible for managing the assets and has a fiduciary responsibility to you the beneficiary? I believe you have a right to see the trust. You most certainly should contact an attorney. Based on the information you've provided I would be skeptical of the advice your family and aunt are providing. I would start with free legal advice. They may be able to help you or help find someone who can. https://www.calbar.ca.gov/Public/Need-Legal-Help/Free-Legal-Help
Most places will only take a home for a tax sale after a certain number of years being behind - three in my area. This means as long as you pay one year's worth, you've got time to pull together another year's worth (or better, a year and a half so you can get caught up.)
Get a lawyer asap
Keep your aunt out of any visits to county! She could be behind the scam. It is also possible that she is not, but until you know for sure, do this on your own.
Sounds like a potential scam to me, follow the directions already here on contacting the title company, county tax assessor and when needed the police. Do not reply to the letter or send them any cash, they can not simply take your house, they would need to sue you, goto court, win the case and the judge will tell you what you need to do. If it is legit, you can setup a payment plan
Did the house have a mortgage?
You have already received some great advice ranging from ensuring this isn't a scam and so on. The other part is your family might try to scam you. There could easily be bad blood that you inherited a house. Make sure your aunt isn't trying to fool you by giving up a house because you can't come up with some arbitrary amount of money.
They can't retroactively decide to tax you on a reassessment. The new tax rate should be from the date of the reassessment, not before.
This sounds like a common scam, call your local tax assessor office and they will tell you if the property has a tax bill. Do not pay anyone. The tax office will not call you or reach out, and they cannot sell the home by the end of the month. This is a common scam, I promise you are alright and just take a deep breath and ignore letters like that in the mail.
This is a scam.
Who is "they"?
overall this sounds like a scam. Call the tax accessor's office and get it from the horse's mouth