Philadelphia Attorneys' Group Warns Homeowners of Pitfalls of 'Tangled Titles'
By Paul Kurtz
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- An agency that acts as a clearinghouse for pro-bono attorneys in Philadelphia says thousands of low-income homeowners around the city are in danger of losing their properties because their names are not on the titles.
It's a common problem, known as "tangled titles."
Say mom and dad die and leave the house to one of the kids. But when a problem such as chronic illness or unemployment leaves the resident with an inability to pay taxes for a time, the trouble may compound.
"If they're not the record title owner, if they go to the city to make a tax payment, the taxing authorities will not talk to that person because he or she isn't the record owner," explains Irwin Trauss, an attorney who specializes in consumer housing with Philadelphia Legal Assistance.
Trauss says there is now an ordinance requiring the city's debt collectors to accept evidence other than record title of a person's interest in a property but homeowners typically aren't aware of that.
Many end up going through a legal maze, he says, to sort out the mess and avoid foreclosure.