Responses
I really appreciate the input and doing business with family is not a good thing, but nobody has really answered my question. Here it is.
I bought property from my wife's grandfather because it was a good deal. On the farm I bought is some JUNK metal over 30 years old that is a big eye sore. I tried to move it but he told me I couldn't because he didn't want it moved. I am sick and tired of looking at it, so I have the right to move it, right?
Question #2
On this same property is a church. He was receiving 150 dollars a month rent for it, which I didn't interfer with when I bought the place, even though the building was mine. After a despute over the metal I have decided to collect the rent on the building now. Is this legal? Don't really care about moral, ethical or anything about family, since we are no longer on speaking terms. Is it ok for me to do this?
Quite frankly Sad, I don't think we are getting the whole story here.
So you bought this property two years ago on land contract and you recently paid off the land contract.
You agreed not to sell until after granddad dies. Did you also agree to give granddad what is called a life estate. i.e. that he would have the use of the property? If I asked granddad the same question what would his answer be?
So for two years you've let granddad collect the rent from the tenant but now you want to change that deal because of an argument over a different matter? I always worry about people who do things out of the goodness of their heart.
Quote:Don't really care about moral, ethical or anything about family, since we are no longer on speaking terms. Is it ok for me to do this?
No, it is not ok for you to be unethical, immoral, or inconsiderate of an old man just because you are not on speaking terms.
What a funny response to my question. Being old has no bearing on being right or wrong. The "law" on the matter is all that matters to me. Please don't respond if you are going to be judgmental on the matter, all I care about are facts.
NO there is no life estate on the property, I'm not a moron. Clean and clear deed nothing else. Granddad is the very one who initiated the fued, not myself, so don't be sympathetic to an old, moron.
I would get rid ot the metal but leave the church alone. Just my opinion.
sadkins- When you bought the property from your granddad, you bought it outright, right? ie..you had ownership of the rents too? If that is the case, why did your granddad collect the rents? If you own the property, the you should change the lease agreement with the church to have all the rents made to you. You also have the rights to remove anything that you consider an eye sore.
Remember - It is business, nothing personal.
Speak to a local attorney who can advise you of your rights and possible courses of action.
That said, is your wife's grandfather a tenant on this property? Even if he pays no rent, does he still live there? If he does, and he claims that this pile of metal crap is his, you may not be able to touch it until you go through a specific due process. Is there disagreement about who owns the pile of metal, or over who has the right to do something with it?
The church is a separate and unrelated matter. If you own the property and there are no documents allowing him to collect the rent, you probably have a right to it. If you decide to go ahead with this, send a letter to the church informing them that as the legal owner of the property, you would like all future rent to be sent to you. They may ask you for proof that you are the legal owner, but they can't refuse to send the money to you once such proof is provided.
You didn't ask about it, but I thought I'd throw it in. If you decide to recoup the rent for the last two years, you probably can't. You knowingly allowed this process to continue, thereby signifying your acceptance of the situation as it was.
As for the ethics of it all, I actually have a measure of sympathy for your situation. Blood may be thicker than water, but you also don't get to choose your relatives. Before our wedding, my future mother-in-law told my fiancé two days before our wedding that she wasn't coming. It wasn't because she didn't approve of me. It was just because she "had a business meeting to attend." M wife was very upset. Later, I found out that my wife had co-signed a $10k loan for her parents a few years before, and her parents had never made a single payment on it. She was making all the payments for them. My wife was just too embarrassed about this to tell me. We went and paid it off in two months. I never heard even a thank you from them. Eventually, my wife insisted that we stop talking to them. These are her parents and she was more adamant about it than me. It's great to help people, and family members really are the first people you should help. But some people take advantage of family relations. That's unacceptable.
To Alexlev
I am not interested in pursuing the reimbursement of the money paid to that point. I was just letting him have the rent because I thought it was the "right" thing to do, since he gave me a good deal on the property. After he got made at me over the junk metal, he continued to hold a grudge. When it came property tax time, I took the tax to him even though I owned it, because I figured if I was letting him continue receiving the rent then the least he could do was pay the property tax. However he refused to pay the property tax, so to counter that, I told the preacher at the church that we would like to take over the rent payments from now on. Hope that makes since.
AlexLev
No he isn't a tenant on the property.
I don't see why this is so confusing.
You own it, do what you want with it, its no one elses business.
Good zLuck,
Robert
It's your property to do as you please. Junk the metal and establish lease in your name with tenants.
Good Luck!
you own it free and clear. do as you please......km
This whole thread is just bizarre. You own a piece of property and the seller still acts like he owns it ??? and you want advice ??? Dude, good luck.