Abandoned Real Property In California

[suntzu1]

I hope this is not too redundant a question. There is an abandoned home in my neighborhood. It has been abandoned now for over 3 ½ years. The owner seems to have just disappeared. A friend did some title search and found that the owner is a single man and no transfers of any kind. I have tried to find the owner but have not been able to. The home is an eye sore and some kids used it as a hangout so the city has come by and boarded the property and once every 3 months sends a clean up crew. The property now has 23k in unpaid taxes and city liens for the clean up. I have been told that if the property is abandoned (truly abandoned), a blight on the community, owner can not be found and delinquent property taxes that I can acquire title by paying the taxes and basically move in. This sounded to me a little off so that is why I’m posting.

Thanks in advance

[Mr. Knowitall]

You were told that by whom? One of the neighborhood kids?

Check to see if the city is going to foreclose on its liens, or sell the property at a tax sale.

[Apoll0]

suntzu1, you aren't entirely incorrect in what you say. Knowitall makes a good point - depending on the state your house is situated in, it could take up to 15 years to get title. In California the period is 5 years.

Easiest - after a statutory period of unpaid taxes, the city will "foreclose" on the tax liens and sell the property. The city will erase most liens against the property and you can buy it at a "tax sale".

Possession - you may, based on local statutes, possess the property for yourself. At this point it would be best for you to find a law library and research.
Adverse Possession means exactly that = you do not own the property. Paying the taxes is simply incident to an adverse claim. The fact that taxes are owed against the property is of little significance.
So, if you have done your due diligence, you can move in and possess it. Doing so, however, is of no use to you if you don't know how to defend it. Research.

What city is this in? If you have any questions about types of possession and giving notice, shoot me an email.