r/squatting • u/2006-helhcaht-300 • Oct 27 '24
Floridian mom needs help gaining ownership
I am looking to become a homeowner of my “baby fathers” abandoned home so for context i lived there since I was 15/16f he’s 50m. I’m 18 now The house is getting substantial mold damage by the week because he broke the windows and the utilities cut.
He has since abandoned his entire family and probably won’t be coming back in fear of life in prison and deportation.. I doubt he is making his mortgage payments and paying taxes and the house is just sitting there. P.s he is married but separated there’s 2 names on the deed I’m assuming. Idk if that helps
How do I go about paying taxes, bills etc what are the steps. Do I start to invest in fixing it to make it live-able again. I have a baby and I’m homeless atm. It’s a great family home I just need advice thx.
I’m not currently staying in the house anymore because of the health hazard but I want to start living in it again.
3
u/SnooKiwis2161 Oct 29 '24
You need to find out what's going on with the mortgage, or the bank will eventually take ownership of it.
If you have that info and you can bring the bills up to date - if there is a mortgage, it is likely taxes and home insurance is being paid through the mortgage payments - you can pay the mortgage so the bank does not foreclose. The bank doesn't care who pays it, as long as it is paid - BUT - if he ever comes back and your name is not on the deed or anything, he can still pretty much take ownership back. So if you spent ten years paying and he showed up, you'd be out all that money. The same goes if he dies and his name is on the deed - I am not a lawyer, but in my state, when a person dies, the property can go into probate and the will would need to be sorted out once his death is public record.
Now, you have some other factors where maybe he dies over seas. This may have an upside, but you really need to consult with a lawyer, specifically a real estate lawyer. Initial consultations are often free and may be all you need to get necessary information.
Additionally,if you have any communication with him and family, you may want to consider trying to get him to give you power of attorney, or some way of having him cooperate to put you on the deed. I understand this may not be an option, but it would do a lot of the heavy lifting in terms of resolving this issue, so at least make sure you've tried anything you can to save yourself some trouble.
The problem you'll have with just squatting and not paying mortgage is if the bank shows up. You want to find out how long you can squat until it is adverse possession. Google or search on reddit about adverse possession. If no one objects to you being on the property for a certain amount of time and under certain conditions, you can possibly end up possessing it, but it can be difficult to do the longer the period of time it requires.
Hope this helps.
You're also going to want to take care of the mold situation, or it won't be a house worth squatting in. I'm sure you know this, but if you can't resolve it, this may be worth nothing.
Good luck