Do you have any legal rights to a property if you are listed as the caretaker of the property?
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Do you have any legal rights to a property if you are listed as the caretaker of the property?
Back in 1995, our family moved into a property owned by my aunt and ever since then we have been living there and paying the property taxes. I have never seen the deed so i’m not sure if only my aunts name is on it, but when we pay the taxes my mom is listed like this. Now, we would like to get a loan to put a new house on the land because the house has gotten so old and developed problems. Unfortunately, we haven’t seen or heard from my aunt for 16 years. I’ve done online look ups in order t try and find recent phone numbers and addresses for either her or her son, my cousin, but those routes produced no results. We do not think she has passed or anything like that but we don’t know where she is or how to get in touch with her. Does my mother, my aunt’s sister, have any legal rights to the deed since we have been paying the taxes and living there for so long or would we need to have a lawyer find my aunt before we could proceed?
Asked on April 3, 2019 under Real Estate Law, Alabama
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 5 years ago | Contributor
Living somewhere with the owner's permission gives you no rights to property. Similarly voluntarily (choosing to) pay taxes or other expenses for property gives you no rights over it; you cannot use your unilateral choice to pay taxes or expenses for another to take away some or all of their property rights (if you acquire rights over the aunt's property, she has by definition lost some rights or control over it). You will have to retain an attorney and find the aunt.
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