Who owns this house?
I've found a house that appears to be unoccupied and in disrepair. I've looked up the owner of record on the county tax records and attempted to make contact, but have had no luck. I have found legal documents that suggest the owner of record may have been sent to prison about 15 years ago (and has 25 more years to serve). The tax history shows that the owner of record quit paying taxes about 10 years ago, and since then a bank has been paying the property taxes.
Is anybody familiar with this scenario?? Why is the bank paying the property taxes? If the bank had been paying the entire time, I would have assumed it was the way escrow was set up, but the owner was paying the taxes for a while, and then it switched to the bank making payments.
2nd, it still appears to belong to the owner (ie not foreclosed). Are there any unusual rules that govern properties when owners get sent to prison? This is in Texas.
Thanks in advance for any help!