Is my father responsable to pay back taxes on our property we own together if he died?
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Is my father responsable to pay back taxes on our property we own together if he died?
My father passed away 7 months ago and we have a delinquent tax bill from the year before. I owned property with him. The property is not mortgaged. Is the estate responsible for clearing up the tax debit for the pa property before the money can be split among my sister and I? She is the administrator of the estate and won’t tell me anything. Should the money that is owed on the taxes count as his debt to and be paid by his estate? My dad and I are both on the deed and tax bill. My dad had no Will.
Asked on November 2, 2011 under Real Estate Law, Pennsylvania
Answers:
FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
In order to answer your question, the percentages of ownership on the property between you and your deceased father will determine most likely how the unpaid property tax bill is to be allocated between you and your father's estate assuming the tax bill owed was for the time period he was alive. If not, then a portion of the bill is owed by the estate.
However, if you end up getting the entire home that you are on title to with your deceased father, I would simply pay the tax bill myself and move forward.
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