property tax question

[kle12]

What is the name of your state? TEXAS

My husband is being sued for property taxes on the mobile home he purchased. The tax year in question is 2001. He purchased the home in 2002. No where in the paper work from the mobile home dealer does it state that he is responsible for any back taxes. The home was sitting on the lot in 2001. He was not told that there were any back taxes on the home at the time of purchase. In 2005 he received a letter stating the he was being sued for the above. He has paid the taxes in full every year since he purchased the home and was never told of any back taxes.
Does he owe the back taxes or is the previous owner responsible?

[LdiJ]

Originally Posted by kle12

What is the name of your state? TEXAS

My husband is being sued for property taxes on the mobile home he purchased. The tax year in question is 2001. He purchased the home in 2002. No where in the paper work from the mobile home dealer does it state that he is responsible for any back taxes. The home was sitting on the lot in 2001. He was not told that there were any back taxes on the home at the time of purchase. In 2005 he received a letter stating the he was being sued for the above. He has paid the taxes in full every year since he purchased the home and was never told of any back taxes.
Does he owe the back taxes or is the previous owner responsible?

That is really a local question...not necessarily even state specific, but maybe even county specific. Has he tried talking to the parties involved and letting them know that he did not own the home in 2001? Has he considered suing the mobile home dealer? He should.

[nextwife]

Does he own the land the mobile home sits upon? If so, has he reviewed his title policy and closing papers to make certain that the tax status letters/ title policy showed that all property taxes were CURRENT at the time of purchase? If they were NOT current, did he make certain he recieved a credit on the closing statement from the seller to cover his cost of bringing the taxes current? Or, that the closing agent collected payment out of the sellers proceeds? If a disbursment was made out of closing to pay off prior property tax arrearages, he should contact the closing agent to make sure they actually SENT the check, and did not accidentally file the closing file away with the check still in it.

He needs to pull out his closing papers/offer, etc and see exactly what agreements/disclosures were done.

Frankly, the municipality doesn't CARE whether he owned the property in the year in question. A property tax lien is a priority lien anf he could lose the land to a tax foreclosure if he fails to bring it current. This is something that he should have handled as part of his closing due diligence..

[seniorjudge]

Originally Posted by nextwife

Does he own the land the mobile home sits upon? If so, has he reviewed his title policy and closing papers to make certain that the tax status letters/ title policy showed that all property taxes were CURRENT at the time of purchase? If they were NOT current, did he make certain he recieved a credit on the closing statement from the seller to cover his cost of bringing the taxes current? Or, that the closing agent collected payment out of the sellers proceeds? If a disbursment was made out of closing to pay off prior property tax arrearages, he should contact the closing agent to make sure they actually SENT the check, and did not accidentally file the closing file away with the check still in it.

He needs to pull out his closing papers/offer, etc and see exactly what agreements/disclosures were done.

Frankly, the municipality doesn't CARE whether he owned the property in the year in question. A property tax lien is a priority lien anf he could lose the land to a tax foreclosure if he fails to bring it current. This is something that he should have handled as part of his closing due diligence..

Righto...the tax attaches to the property, not to the person.