The Calhoun County Land Bank Authority (CCLBA) and the Washington Heights Neighborhood Advisory Committee announce a Community Conversation for neighbors to share their opinions about a recurring issue that comes up in the Land Bank’s work called heirs’ and legacy property. Definitions below explain how some properties end up with the Land Bank or in jeopardy due to probate issues, and this Community Conversation is the first step in identifying solutions.
This Community Conversation will take place from 6-8 p.m., Wednesday, April 10 at the Washington Heights United Methodist Church.
Led by the Center for Community Progress, a national non-profit assisting communities to disrupt inequities, this Community Conversation is an opportunity for residents to share their thoughts about this property concern with the Land Bank and County Treasurer’s Office.
The CCLBA has engaged the Center for Community Progress to assist with analyzing this issue related to state and local laws, current policies, and community perspective and experience. Then, they will work with CCLBA and the Washington Heights Neighborhood Advisory Committee to identify policies or procedures that might lead to equitable outcomes for families that have history with these properties. The Community Conversation will launch this process.
Heirs Property refers to the situation in which the legal property owner dies without a probated will, resulting in ownership of their property being equally divided among their descendants. Those descendants, or heirs, are left in a legal limbo with the property. This often leads to heirs’ properties falling into disrepair and becoming vacant or tax delinquent. The lack of clear title stemming from the unresolved estate prohibits descendants from, obtaining bank loans, accessing programs that might assist with home repairs or tax delinquency, and even from selling the property.
Legacy Property will also be considered, which refers to property that a family no longer has an ownership stake in due to loss through broken title, property tax foreclosure, or some other action and that descendants/heirs have a expressed an interest in reacquiring. The CCLBA occasionally receives requests from heirs about properties in its inventory but does not have programing or policies to manage this type of interest.
