Posted on: 31st Jan, 2010 06:38 pm
oct.30 2009 i went to a public notary and did a quit claim deed for a property,i am the grantee. the grantor owed me 10,000. we also did a seprete letter saying that if he didn't pay by nov.20.2009 i would be the only owner and wouldn't return the deed to him, well he didn't pay. also the property is rented and he is receiving the rents around 3500 since nov. what do i do? do i have any rights? i haven't recorded the deed yet i live in houston and the property is in chicago. also do i need to go in person to record the deed or could i mail it?and another thing the grantor owes 3000 in tax's, do i need to pay that amount to record the deed? as you could read iam a total mess!!! thank you
Hi raquelgalindo,
You mentioned about a "separate letter" which states that if the grantor does not pay money by a certain date, you will get the full title to the property. Is the "separate letter" legally valid? If it is, then you do have certain rights and can have the title changed in your name. Talk to a lawyer and get the documents reviewed by him to know what your rights are.
The quitclaim deed he signed to you should have been recorded by now. But as the deed was properly notarized, I think it is valid and you can still record it. It's better if you can go in person to the land record's office to have the deed recorded. If you record the deed, you will not have to pay the outstanding property taxes immediately. But once you have full ownership to the property, you will be required to pay off taxes.
You mentioned about a "separate letter" which states that if the grantor does not pay money by a certain date, you will get the full title to the property. Is the "separate letter" legally valid? If it is, then you do have certain rights and can have the title changed in your name. Talk to a lawyer and get the documents reviewed by him to know what your rights are.
The quitclaim deed he signed to you should have been recorded by now. But as the deed was properly notarized, I think it is valid and you can still record it. It's better if you can go in person to the land record's office to have the deed recorded. If you record the deed, you will not have to pay the outstanding property taxes immediately. But once you have full ownership to the property, you will be required to pay off taxes.