I’m in your friends situation (except we paid for the house – we bought from my dad.)
Your friend needs to make sure the title and prop 13 rate were transfered. Perhaps that’s her concern. Perhaps she hasn’t done that step. Since her father is dead she’ll need to provide death certificate, her birth certificate (showing he’s her father, etc.) Since my dad was living, we had to get him to sign the form and get it notorized and provide my birth certificate. It can take a few months for the property tax rate to be transfered. They tried to stick us with a higher bill – but we were refunded the balance once the paper work went through.
She needs to transfer the title to her name or else she’ll have issues when it comes time to sell. My husband’s Dad and his siblings inherited a Jersey shore bungalow – it’s still in their father’s name. Grandpa Lucio has been dead for 25 years. It’s a mess now that they’re trying to sell. And a bunch of senior citizens trying to unravel what they need to do to get the title straightened out is NOT a pretty sight. (They’re all in their 80’s)
