father passed away owes back property tax

by Michael
(Wyoming)

My father passed away last November. We are now getting a letter stating that we ( myself, sister and brother) are responsible for paying the backed property tax he owed..my father died without a cent to his name, all we received from him were sentimental items, nothing of real value. On top of this, we were not the executor's of his estate either..what options do these people have against us and what can I do to see to it that I am not harassed? Thank you for your time!

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Dec 16, 2012
 father passed away owes back property tax
by: Debtcollectionanswers.com

Did you and your siblings inherit the home from your father? If you did, then you are obligated to pay any outstanding debt associated with the house because those debts transferred with it.

If someone else inherited the home, then that person/s is legally obligated for the unpaid property taxes.

If your father's estate went through the probate process, his tax debt should have been paid. If he no longer owned the home when he died and there was not enough to pay everything he owed, then the unpaid creditors, including the property tax authority, are out of luck. They cannot go after you and your siblings for the money, unless you co-owned the home with your father. If you did and you do not pay the unpaid property taxes, you risk having the taxing authority put liens on assets you may owe, which would mean that you would not be able to sell them, transfer them to someone else, or borrow against them without paying off the liens first.

Without knowing more about the specifics of your particular situation, I cannot provide you with a more detailed answer. So, if the information here is not enough, I recommend that you meet with a probate law attorney in your area. You will probably learn all you need during one appointment and it should not cost you a lot.



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