UPDATE #2: The city wouldn't go for it. They wouldn't go for any of the suggestions in the comments either. Thanks for the help. It was worth a shot. They suggested we get a lawyer. As of right now, I still have 30 days to vacate the house.
UPDATE: My brother explained the situation to his boss---a man he's known for years---and the boss wants us to bring him a list of how much money is owed. He's agreed to pay it off if we agree to take action to get the home put in our names.
Original Blog:
Well I thought everything with my house had been handled. I was under the impression my cousin took care of the tax issue a year ago. I was wrong. Here it is almost a year after my great aunt's passing and I just received a letter in the mail today: I have 30 days to vacate the premise or be removed by the authorities. I'm at a lose as to what to do. I have NO WHERE to go. I'm scared I might finally end up homeless after all :(.
Comments
Ack!
Well, you can file for an extension, claiming mitigating circumstances. That should buy you some time, at least.
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Here we go again
Go to the tax office and make a payment, no matter how small. At this time you can explain your circumstances, and say you'll be making payments. This should stop the eviction notice
I made payments.
Mine was to the IRS, and it held them off until I could pay.
If worse comes to worse
Have you looked into bartering? There are a lot of retirees in the area. Possibly get room and board in exchange for some elder care or driving duties, house sitting for snowbirds? One of my dad's former carers is being paid to be a companion for a elderly lady to just talk with her. This is near Batavia. Job turnover isn't good due to the age of clients.
A Suggestion
If you are on speaking terms with your cousin, I suggest that you ask him/her if he/she has proof that the tax issues was taken care of. Proof can be a cancelled check or a letter. That may also buy some time.
I am so sorry hon
contact the authorities, and see if there is anything you can do - some appeal process, some assistance, anything. please take care!
Terrible News But Not Without Hope
I'm quite sorry to hear you having to deal with this. For what it is worth, my grandmother had something similar happen to her back about 16 years ago or so here. She had a property that was my grandfather's before he passed away. She was a total homemaker so knew NADA NOTHING ZILCH about business matters (this was a small mom-n-pop kind of strip mall).
One day we happen to look in the legal section of the local newspaper and happen to see a notice of unpaid taxes on the property. I want to say the courts were going to sell it off or something. My apologies for forgetting that detail.
We got on the phone and they worked with my mom to get the taxes eventually paid off and I took over for the so-called Property Manager my grandmother had... How the **** does a CPA, of all people, forget to pay taxes like that?!
*Cliff Notes Version*: the panic is understandable but what others have said about you having options is true. Look into them and something positive will come of it.
Because if you look really,
Because if you look really, really hard. the CPA was going to try and get the property for a "song". He/She knew exactly what he/she was doing when it was done (or not done in this case). I would have someone who can, do a complete background on this CPA and all property dealings he/she has dealt with over the past 20 years. May find a few more like or very similar to this one hidden away by the CPA.
Take the letter to the tax
Take the letter to the tax authorities, and simply say "I was under the impression that all of this had been handled by my cousin. Could you please give me more information, and how to work with you on it?"
Generally, the tax folks give a LOT more than 30 days worth of notice - they'd rather have money than the property.
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
Regarding your update to this blog:
That sounds like it would lead to a good resolution for you. I hope it works out well.
Working out
It didn't work out. The city wouldn't go for it. Nor would they even consider an extension or allowing us to pay on it. The only thing they suggested was to get a lawyer. As of now, I still have only 30 days to vacate the premises.
My
Heart goes out to You "Big Time " !!...I am an Australian and I don't know how your laws operate.....But We are talking about the" United States Of America " When I used to watch the Brady Bunch and others!.... I was led to believe that American Government Are For The People Regardless of Race and Gender!....THEY LIED...Surely there is Someone Reading Big Closet and Enjoys Your Stories Like Us? They Will Help You!
Please I wish I could Help. .....
See if the boss can help with
See if the boss can help with an attorney. The attorney can file for an immediate stay on the eviction notice, citing all sorts of things. The city will do just about anything to settle out of court, rather than waste time and money _in_ court. Especially if it means they'll get their tax money.
The people you talk to initially are standard bureaucrats, which means that if they can at all avoid it, they will take ZERO responsibility for any decisions whatsoever. You have to talk to the people _above_ those, and often it takes a lawyer to get them to crawl out of their holes... I mean, back offices.
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
Also
Who owns the tax notes?
Attorney(s)
I very definitely agree about getting an attorney to take care of the legal work. They could also investigate as to whether you or your cousin were ever given due process, i.e., notified appropriately and regularly as to the status of the payments for the house.
I find it rather odd that the city isn't backing down after the offer of help from your cousin's boss. There's something going on here.
As noted by myself and Bibliophage, get the lawyer involved, they may be able to find out what has been happening and help you regarding the house. Definitely get the lawyer to go up the ladder in the city offices, especially to a supervisor or actual city official/councillor.
Attorneys cost money, so...
This is a situation where you'd be well justified in setting up a Go Fund Me or similar thing to allow us (and others you know) to funnel money your way to aid in legal fees, etc.
As widely scattered geographically as we are, for most of us that will be the only way to assist other than advice and good wishes, and advice and good wishes don't pay the bills.
Yours,
John Robert Mead
Publicize
Let newspapers and radio stations know that the city is seizing property without letting people pay the bills. Politicians hate publicity in cases like this. Bureaucrats will justify things by bending rules in their favor but the light of publicity will cause the politicians will force the bureaucrat's bosses to scuttle under the refrigerator.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.