While the brief answer is “yes,” the issue is a bit complicated, like many things in the real estate litigation world. Who is a proper party to a partition action? Generally, any person claiming an interest in a piece of real estate must be joined in the action in order…
When a title owner sues to partition the property, then the matter is relatively straightforward. On the other hand, when a person claims to be an owner of the property but does not appear on the title, can they still sue to partition the property? Who can sue for partition?…
Everyone agrees that there is a shortage of affordable housing in California. There are many possible solutions to this problem, one of the solutions was the Legislature’s passage of AB 1486. What is the purpose of the Surplus Land Act? Government Code section 54220 sets the stage for the other…
In many ways, partition actions are relatively straightforward. Generally, in a partition action, the two property owners cannot agree on its use, and one of the owners asks the court to sell the property so each can go their separate ways. The question arises of whether one of the two…
The revised Surplus Land Act contains negotiation requirements to encourage the sale of surplus public land. Also, the law makes it more likely that the land will ultimately be developed for as much housing as possible. Prior to entering negotiations, however, AB 1486 requires that the agency selling the surplus…
When two parties jointly own property but cannot agree on its use, then the sale of the property by a “partition” action is frequently a great remedy to solve the dispute. This tool, however, is not available in all circumstances. While a “partition by sale” makes a lot of sense…
Everything old is new again. Or so it seems. Sometimes a new thing really is new. In this case, the question is whether the new Surplus Land Act is truly as big of a change as touted. After all, there was a Surplus Land Act before, and there’s a Surplus…
The purpose of this post is to discuss who should be part of a partition action. This post will discuss who is typically joined, note some interesting problems, and address how to properly prosecute such an action. After reviewing this article, the reader will be better able to identify who…
The purpose of this post is to discuss how a partial taking of your property may affect your property taxes. Often, in an eminent domain action, there are at least two types of damages or payment required. First, the government should pay the property owner for the property actually taken.…
As a millennial, we’ve faced financial challenges different from all those before us. We graduated college with more debt into the harsh job market of the Great Recession and then have had to compete during one of the hottest housing markets ever. So, many of us have had to do…