What if my sister refuses to pay the taxes?

OneBrilliantMan: What if my sister refuses to pay the taxes?
My two sisters and I just inherited my father’s house. He died last June. My sister is not returning my emails about getting the tax paid. What do I do if she refuses to pay the tax on the house? She is not returning my emails about the taxes? I am willing to chip in for now but she is still living there rent free. I don’t live there anymore. She should probably pay the tax since she is still living there. So what should I do if she does not pay the tax?

Answers and Views:

Answer by moo
report her

Answer by Outrider
I would consult a lawyer. If the tax is not paid by someone on the home you stand to lose it.
Outrider

Answer by Gtreeko
If you do not pay tax, the government can take your personal stuff from you, eg, game consoles, cars tvs, etc. They will estimate how much your stuff is worth, and take the amount to pay your tax. So if I were you, tell her to pay her taxes!

Answer by r_kav
If all 3 of you now own the house, the local authorities will hold each of you responsible for the real estate tax. Get a lawyer, and get her to pay rent as well.

Answer by drive_55_not
Does your sister not understand the concept of property tax??

Best case, If the property tax isn’t paid, the city/county will place a lien on the property and collect any back tax when the property is sold, Or worst case, the city/county will foreclose on the property after a couple years of unpaid tax,

If the property is under all three names, A tax lien recorded against the property will also wreck the credit of the listed property owners,

If you don’t want the property, sell your interest to the sister living there, or get with your other sister and force the third to sell the property,

Answer by Scott – an Enrolled Agent w/ IRS
Here in southern Iowa the county has a tax sale and the original owner has two years to pay the taxes and get the house back after the auction. It does not go against the person’s credit scores.

If your area is like this then don’t pay the taxes and bid off the house at the tax auction. They don’t go for much because of the buy back period. This would knock either one or two sisters out of ownership. Your going to have to play politics here any way that you go; she has already started testing the waters. This could be a backup plan.

Find out what the city or county will do by going to the courthouse and asking the treasurer. Don’t draw up your battle plans until you have a good map and have a plan. Ask your other sister her opinion on how to settle the mess in such a way as not to alienate her. Draw her to your side if at all possible.

Good Luck.