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I live in a suburban neighborhood in Towson, MD, just north of Baltimore City. Houses all built in 1950's and a thriving, desirable neighborhood. Issue is a neighbor a few houses away died a couple of weeks ago. She lived alone and was mentally disturbed enough (either Alzheimer's or illness) that she would not seek help and she refused contact with neighbors and social services. She declined very rapidly and eventually the police broke into the house and found her dead.
A very sad story, but now my question. Apparently the only living relative of this woman is a brother who she was estranged with who lives in the Philadelphia area. The police said they would be in contact with him regarding the estate, but we have seen nothing happen yet. What can be done if he refuses to handle the estate, primarily the clean up and sale of the house?
It surprises me that he would not be interested in the estate as there is a nice car and the house that would bring a tidy price, but who knows. I've tried to find out if relative not named specifically as executor has any legal obligations to handle the property with no luck.
My specific interest is trying to prevent the property from becoming an eyesore and possibly having squatters move in, or people damaging the property. In our real estate market, the house would sell as is within two weeks if priced correctly.
Can anyone with experience provide any help or advice?
Geez, it's only been a couple of weeks - give the executor a chance. My Mother's estate (she lived in Towson as well) took over a year to probate and there wasn't even any real estate involved. If you're that concerned about the state of the property, you might want to check the register of wills and see who the executor is and contact him/her. That's pretty much your only resource at the point. BTW, aside from exterior maintenance, I wouldn't be to worried about squatters in that area - it's pretty nice out there!
I gather from your comments that it is not the short time since her passing that concerns you but the period of neglect that preceded that time? In either event, going forward, if it becomes or is an issue, you should be able to contact your local code enforcement people and ask them to handle the problem. Or, if the neighbors are all up in arms, maybe you can all work together to covertly keep the grass cut, etc. There are issues with that approach but it does solve the appearance concern.
If it was ME, I'd consider at least mowing her lawn once in a while. Plow out the snow if any. Maybe I'd also park my car in the driveway to help keep out house strippers.
Little things like that make all the difference, and it's not like they cost a whole lot to do. Especially if it helps protect YOUR neighborhood.
To amplify a bit, the immediate neighbor was mowing the lawn during the season and the owner's car is in the driveway (behind a locked gate). And I will take care of shoveling snow from sidewalk/walkway if necessary. Really, my question is what if the brother refuses to do anything? I am making assumptions here, but considering he didn't come to visit previously , I think he doesn't care. I did not mention in previous posts that another neighbor did call social services/police a few months ago because they hadn't seen her out of the house for weeks and they were concerned. Police came and she was n reasonable enough condition that they couldn't involuntarily remove her from the house.
The neighbor had also seen the oil delivery truck come by several times but left as homeowner wouldn't answer the door and they couldn't deliver because the car was blocking the way. When she was found dead, police said the house was 40 degrees inside.
This being Maryland the paperwork to file probate likely just got filed and the public notices won't go out for another couple weeks anyway.
If the brother refuses to be the executor the Court will appoint one.
If there are maintenance issues then contact Baltimore County Department of Inspections. They'll notify the executor/administrator of the estate.
NBP - who would file probate in this case if the brother doesn't? Does a state or county agency take care of property of deceased persons without known heirs, or a located will?
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Originally Posted by thinkalot
Nothing much happens in 2 weeks. Wait a few months.
More likely a year, depending on whether the brother is reached, whether he is interested in selling, sells, or even decides to move in. If it goes to probate court it can be more than a year before anything is done. If there is a loan, it could go into foreclosure if payments are missed but that too takes time, especially with a deceased owner. If it does become an eyesore, attract rodents or even squatters, there may be a city ordinance, but it's hard to enforce with no one to contact. In some cities, after posting multiple notices they can actually demolish the home if it's in violation and causing unsafe conditions.
If it was ME, I'd consider at least mowing her lawn once in a while. Plow out the snow if any. Maybe I'd also park my car in the driveway to help keep out house strippers.
Little things like that make all the difference, and it's not like they cost a whole lot to do. Especially if it helps protect YOUR neighborhood.
I'd mow the lawn and plow/shovel the snow, for sure. I don't know that I'd park the driveway though.
Closing an estate takes time, and if it has only been two weeks, chances are that they have only just had funeral/cremation services in the past few days.
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