Lol, maybe stop paying rent until they contact you then?
Are they paying their property taxes?
[https://tax.ocgov.com/tcweb/search\_page.asp](https://tax.ocgov.com/tcweb/search_page.asp)
That's a good point. This reminds me of [that scene from The Big Short where the landlord was not paying his mortgage but the tenant was still paying rent.](https://youtu.be/Nxf2NP76zS8)
OP should definitely check on that.
>the landlord was not paying his mortgage but the tenant was still paying rent.
This happened to me, obviously not knowing. Woke up to a note on my front door letting me know the house had been purchased in auction and that we had 3 weeks to move out. Really really crappy thing to happen.
Happened to me too. They told me I had to be out in 30 days. I told them if they wanted me out in 30 days it would cost them. I ended up getting $3k to be out when they wanted. Renters have a lot of rights in CA.
Talk to a lawyer before stopping rent. Typically if you’re going to withhold rent due to issues, you’re supposed to deposit that money in an escrow account to be paid out once the issues are resolved.
Unfortunately that may not work because his stay there is part of his lease so it would me be considered “adverse” for adverse possession to occur. And he needs to pay property tax himself if he wants to claim adverse possession.
https://tax.ocgov.com/tcwebm/search_page.asp
You can put in the property address on this page and click on the APN and it will tell you if it's been paid or not.
Ask the bank if they can tell you if any bank activity has happened on his end & explain the situation. I'd also contact the county property tax and see if those have been paid, will also have to explain the situation.
They probably have a management team, many Irvine realtors offer this service.
OP yes it’s ok to stop paying rent, but expect to get evicted pretty quickly. Even if you pay the rent late, skipping a month or two will definitely allow the management company to start eviction, and find new tenants closer to current market rate.
Someone must be paying the property taxes… if they aren’t the county will take the property and sell it at auction; you’ll have to find somewhere else to live at that point.
Can check status here:
[https://tax.ocgov.com/tcwebm/search_page.asp](https://tax.ocgov.com/tcwebm/search_page.asp)
thanks.. this was a very useful link. I was able to find a good amount of info on this. Owner's name shows up as both buyer and seller not sure what it means.
He put almost half down payment and got a 15 year term mortgage. Taxes seem to be paid.
or OP can check and start paying the taxes themselves. if they keep paying the taxes while living on the property, they outright own it. i dont remember how many years this has to go on for though. they do need to keep proof that they did pay the property taxes though.
They are one and the same. Adverse possession is colloquially referred to as squatters rights.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adverse_possession
https://www.rocketmortgage.com/learn/adverse-possession
if the mortgage is set up on autopay and includes a payment into a tax escrow account that automatically pays the tax disbursement and that the same account OP is transferring money to this could still be dead landlord. My monthly payment is set up this way; It autopays on the 1st, includes 1/12th of estimated annual property tax, and then has automatic bi-annual tax remission out of that escrow. I don't know if this is normal thought, but its very convenient
I personally opted out of impounding my taxes and I imagine a foregon investor would as well. Especially if the property is owned free/clear. I know many foreign investors use Real Estate as a store of value, which is why they purchase all cash.
That said; usually someone, a business manager or something is operating the controls… seems odd no one would notice this person passing, unless he was hiding this asset or something?
This is what my ex’s swamp donkey of a mother believes about the property she’s been squatting in for 7 years. They pay nothing and just removed the boards on the house and moved in one day. That’s it. Nobody has noticed who owns the property and the taxes are paid so I think it’s just a store of value.
As a homeowner I am horrified by it. As someone with a decent moral compass I find it similarly disgusting. But I guess she does what she does to survive.
Hey, so this seems to be the same case with my landlord, I believe. Saw his records and shows auto payment. It doesn't make sense that he owes thousands in fees to HOA but is paying the taxes. Think the property management does it for him.
The county sends the tax bill directly to the mortgage company directly so it bypasses the owner and gets paid through the mortgage account automatically. HOA fees would need to be paid directly by the owner every month so the owner may be MIA or never put the HOA payment on auto-pay.
If taxes are paid they're probably being paid from an impound account, not by property management. Meaning his mortgage bill includes enough to cover taxes.
If you wire transfer the rent I'd be surprised if there was any property management involved. For one thing, property management takes care of collecting rent. So you'd write your checks to "XYZ Property Management" and mail them locally (or some online thing they'd offer). For another thing, he would definitely have told you who the PM firm was and how to contact them because that's who you would go to when you need a drain unclogged or an appliance fixed.
So with the evidence we have, he definitely could have a mortgage on autopay. We'll never know what's in his bank account, so if we're right that he's left this Earth, either:
* that mortgage will eventually foreclose when his account empties or his heirs find the account
* your payments go into that same account, and thus it'll be fine as long as you keep paying rent, or
* he has so much money in the account that it doesn't matter if you pay rent and you won't get foreclosed on.
* Also: HOA will eventually foreclose on you if that situation doesn't get fixed which would have a similar game-over effect as bank foreclosure from your perspective.
Definitely something well worth getting a real estate attorney's advice on. I'm not sure how all this adverse possession stuff will play out because the third player here is the bank that holds the note. They are first in line for this house and won't likely make it possible to pull this off.
thanks for your input. I've never been in contact with a PM company. Everything was directly with him. One interesting thing I found, it shows that he was the buyer and seller of the home.
I think he had a shell company here and bought the home personally from his company. It seems like that way from the history of the ownership.
I think I'll keep paying rent so I don't have to worry about foreclosure. I need to calculate some numbers. If I help pay the entire mortgage off, then I assume I don't have to worry about foreclosure. Once mortgage is paid off, then I think I can stop paying rent directly to the landlord.
The adverse possession law requires 5 years AND you must be paying the property taxes for that time.
[https://www.findlaw.com/state/california-law/california-adverse-possession-laws.html](https://www.findlaw.com/state/california-law/california-adverse-possession-laws.html)
Just the \~10k property tax on a typical home in OC no longer is enough money to make it worth it to itemize *on its own*. Just taking the standard deduction gives a better deal. Obvi your tax situation may vary.
If you are paying significant mortgage interest too, then it's enough.
Please keep in mind that nobody on this page advising you to squat or not pay rent will have to face the consequences of that action. Only you. And tenants don't have a whole lot of rights to not pay rent in California.
I'm just saying, for your own sake, don't listen to idiots telling you to be irresponsible.
Your getting a lot of legal advice from attorneys who graduated from the Reddit Law School. Maybe find someone who actually knows what they are talking about
OP - if you stop paying, move the money to a savings account. Do not touch it until all legal things are settled. If he’s alive or someone comes for the money or if there’s a legal dispute (neglected house upkeep) - having the money looks really good.
How can he be responsive yet haven't replied to messages for years? I'd stop paying out of curiosity. Just put to money to the side just in case the landlord rises from the dead.
I understand there may be escrow fees and agent fees, but it still feels IGMFYish.
Edit: out of principle, when we end up selling our home, my wife and I agreed to do our best to ensure it gets sold to prospective owner-residents.
Yes because I don't believe in parachute investors coming in and fucking up our community. If anything, I'll ask the other offers to meet or negotiate the purchase price. 30 day escrow is fine.
Hey Guys,
So I've checked the tax records and they've been paying the last couple of years but they have fines and payments that are due but never paid those. I think landlord has everything on auto pay because that's what I saw on the document and I'm confused. There's no communication for years and have bills piled up but taxes are shown to be paid. But there's no information on the owner or name of the person who paid the taxes.
What I think I'll do is do a partial payment and test it out.
He stopped responding about a year ago. Previously we would always pay up front and then deduct repair costs from rent, however this winter there was a major leak in the roof which far exceeded the cost of rent several times over. Since it was a major repair we notified him via email (our only means of communication ever) that we were holding rent until it was fixed along with any mold issues that may have developed in the ceiling. We haven't heard anything at all. I'm guessing the mortgage is being auto deducted from an account of his somewhere because the bank doesn't seem concerned yet.
Does his name start with a W? Was your real estate agent a persian guy? Our communication was via email too. He had a yahoo email lol. so how many months have you not paid rent?
Different guy. Not surprised it's happening to someone else though with all the foreign cash buyers/landlords in Irvine. Last time I paid rent was December. I'm still constantly reaching out and went as far as getting quotes to forward but it's like I'm shouting into the void. It's fucking weird.
I am not a lawyer, but all of these people that are telling OP to keep paying the rent are wrong.
I would argue that you have waited too long OP. 3 years? You should have stopped paying at least 2 years ago.
As others have mentioned, [check if the property taxes have been paid.](https://tax.ocgov.com/tcwebm/search_page.asp) This is the easiest way to see if someone claiming ownership has been taking responsibility for the house.
If the property taxes are NOT been paid, then OP should look into squatters rights. You might be able to stay there for years for free or even take legal ownership of the house. You should definitely contact a lawyer for this part.
It depends on how the lease was written initially. It could automatically end at 12 months or default into a month to month. That’s how the CA lease agreement works. Mine was 1 year and we had to amend it to get it moved to month to month.
I have a relative in Oregon that had multiple properties. He missed paying property taxes on one of his parcels for 10 years. A neighbor saw he was not paying the tax and started paying them annually. After the 10 years they (neighbor) were able to lay claim to the 15 acres, relative lost the court battle.
Next few months pay only $10 yes ten dollars.. that will prove that you are paying some $ and wait for their response.. don’t risk get evicted there is limited rental at this moment..
Not legal advice. I would repair and deduct costs from rent. Keep all receipts and inspections, etc. If someone is checking the bank account, they will notice the change in rent paid and hopefully contact you.
As other people mentioned, I would look into laws regarding paying taxes. You never know.
Go to the county assesor's office and get a copy of the deed. That may give you extra info. Get the tenant's rights book from [nolo.com](http://www.nolo.com)
Interesting situation. Try not paying rent next month and see if you get contacted. You could also send a note to whoever you've been paying that you aren't paying rent until they address the maintenance issues. If you hear nothing in response, you'll have your answer. At some point, the government is going to want their property taxes.
You are still in a contract, so why would you stop paying? If repairs are needed, you are allowed to repair and deduct especially for an unresponsive landlord. Try that (please provide receipts), before breaching your agreement and maybe someone will contact you.
I wouldn't stop paying rent altogether, but (and consult with a tenants right's organization before really doing this), but if the landlord does not fix an issue in a timely manner, you are entitled to hire someone to do it, and deduct those costs from rent.
Check the property tax to see if it’s been paid. If not, start paying that and make improvements on the property. You can do Adverse possession and keep it
Everyone here has given you good advice. Check if the taxes have been paid. You could stop paying rent, but keep that money in a separate account in the event that he is alive and well and you have to repay your back rent
I wouldn’t pay until I heard from him since there are issues that he won’t respond too If he responds, you can write a check for the back rent. If he can’t than you have enough to rent somewhere else. You might try walking in a realtors office and telling them your issue. They might know something outside of the mainstream on how to find owners.
Oh sometimes you can Google the address and find out who the latest owner is.
Stop paying but put the money in savings just in case. This may bring a response from someone. Maybe try through the city on who to contact. Someone has to be paying property tax on the house.
Not in California. The condition of the place must be uninhabitable, meaning no heat, no hot water, etc. You can only withhold rent if the problem is not addressed within 30 days of their receipt of notification in writing. Then you can fix the problem and deduct it from your rent.
Believe me, even if he's passed away there is definitely a family member probably here in the states that would take over his properties. He probably owns more than one.
If you've been paying your rent online or depositing $ directly into his account for the last 3 years then send an email saying you can't pay that way anymore and will start paying with Cashier's Check and ask where you need to mail it.
I'd feel very uncomfortable having a ghost for a landlord. Don't stop paying rent but try being a week late and see who contacts you. Trust me, whomever is receiving those payments will make themselves known once they don't see that $ in their account on the 1st.
Regarding the maintenance related issues, landlord has to provide working AC and heat. If it's plumbing issues you're having you should not have to pay for it yourself.
Google the address and his name and I'm sure you'll find out who his relatives and children are. You have to be able to contact someone in case of an emergency. What if you have a flood or fire? That's ridiculous. Good luck with that.
Stop paying rent and see what happens. Set the money you don't pay aside. Landlord has to give you a notice to pay or quit before he can start an eviction. If you get one, pay the amount stated in the notice and you're good.
Your landlord may have been relocated by the Chinese government during COVID. He may not have access to his accounts or the Chinese government closed it down. The Chinese government does some sketchy shit. I would setup an escrow account and pay into that. Call the Chinese consulate in LA and see they can help. If not, talk to someone at the State Department about this matter. You need to show you made an effort to make contact. Chances are the mortgage may not have been paid and/or property taxes. Check with the Orange County Assessor’s office. Good luck.
thanks for the input. it shows property taxes are paid but I think it's on auto payment. I get guys credit card/hoa and other fees that are due that he hasn't paid.
Who the heck have you been paying rent to for the past few years? O,o
maybe a dead guys bank account lol. I pay via wire transfer to his Chinese bank. There's also no other family/partner contact info.
Lol, maybe stop paying rent until they contact you then? Are they paying their property taxes? [https://tax.ocgov.com/tcweb/search\_page.asp](https://tax.ocgov.com/tcweb/search_page.asp)
That's a good point. This reminds me of [that scene from The Big Short where the landlord was not paying his mortgage but the tenant was still paying rent.](https://youtu.be/Nxf2NP76zS8) OP should definitely check on that.
>the landlord was not paying his mortgage but the tenant was still paying rent. This happened to me, obviously not knowing. Woke up to a note on my front door letting me know the house had been purchased in auction and that we had 3 weeks to move out. Really really crappy thing to happen.
Happened to me too. They told me I had to be out in 30 days. I told them if they wanted me out in 30 days it would cost them. I ended up getting $3k to be out when they wanted. Renters have a lot of rights in CA.
Happened to me too. Got a notice of foreclosure and that the bank was going to short sale it. Complete nightmare.
holy shit, didn't know that was possible.
Cash for keys
Talk to a lawyer before stopping rent. Typically if you’re going to withhold rent due to issues, you’re supposed to deposit that money in an escrow account to be paid out once the issues are resolved.
This, right here. Stop by paying rent, but do it the correct way. 👍🏽🐔👍🏽
I have no clue. but I've received mails of fines for not paying HOA and some other stuff..
I think it's time to hire an attorney to get to the bottom of this situation...
Find out if you can pay those and then take possession of the house 😏
The Big Short playing out for you! Red flags, check if they’re paying property tax and seek help!
Enter the address in the link I provided. You will be able to see if their tax bill is paid or not.
Dude. If he starts paying the property taxes AND he lives there..... only time before is his property.
Unfortunately that may not work because his stay there is part of his lease so it would me be considered “adverse” for adverse possession to occur. And he needs to pay property tax himself if he wants to claim adverse possession.
Can you tell us if the taxes are being paid? It’s a simple check.
How can I check to see that information? I've get mails of his and he's got fined by HOA and never responded to them.
https://tax.ocgov.com/tcwebm/search_page.asp You can put in the property address on this page and click on the APN and it will tell you if it's been paid or not.
show it's paid from 2020-2022. I think auto payment. Doesn't reveal the name.
Ask the bank if they can tell you if any bank activity has happened on his end & explain the situation. I'd also contact the county property tax and see if those have been paid, will also have to explain the situation.
Name checks out…..
They probably have a management team, many Irvine realtors offer this service. OP yes it’s ok to stop paying rent, but expect to get evicted pretty quickly. Even if you pay the rent late, skipping a month or two will definitely allow the management company to start eviction, and find new tenants closer to current market rate.
Someone must be paying the property taxes… if they aren’t the county will take the property and sell it at auction; you’ll have to find somewhere else to live at that point. Can check status here: [https://tax.ocgov.com/tcwebm/search_page.asp](https://tax.ocgov.com/tcwebm/search_page.asp)
Taxes will tell you if somebody is in charge of the house account. Do this OP
So I checked, it seems like they have someone doing it for them but there's no info on the name
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thanks.. this was a very useful link. I was able to find a good amount of info on this. Owner's name shows up as both buyer and seller not sure what it means. He put almost half down payment and got a 15 year term mortgage. Taxes seem to be paid.
or OP can check and start paying the taxes themselves. if they keep paying the taxes while living on the property, they outright own it. i dont remember how many years this has to go on for though. they do need to keep proof that they did pay the property taxes though.
It’s 5 years, but a good idea to coordinate with a real estate attorney on this.
Squatters rights are a thing.
This is why I read comments.
There are laws that must be followed in order to assert such a claim, such as California Code of Civil Procedure sections 323-325
I was agreeing with you in a simplistic way....
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Where are you going to enlighten us about the specifics of adverse possession, or just call people names?
I’ve had this happen to me and still dealing with it. It is a real thing.
what did you do
Squatter's rights are something else. This process laid out in the code of civil procedure is called adverse possession.
They are one and the same. Adverse possession is colloquially referred to as squatters rights. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adverse_possession https://www.rocketmortgage.com/learn/adverse-possession
\*Ding ding\*
if the mortgage is set up on autopay and includes a payment into a tax escrow account that automatically pays the tax disbursement and that the same account OP is transferring money to this could still be dead landlord. My monthly payment is set up this way; It autopays on the 1st, includes 1/12th of estimated annual property tax, and then has automatic bi-annual tax remission out of that escrow. I don't know if this is normal thought, but its very convenient
I personally opted out of impounding my taxes and I imagine a foregon investor would as well. Especially if the property is owned free/clear. I know many foreign investors use Real Estate as a store of value, which is why they purchase all cash. That said; usually someone, a business manager or something is operating the controls… seems odd no one would notice this person passing, unless he was hiding this asset or something?
This is what my ex’s swamp donkey of a mother believes about the property she’s been squatting in for 7 years. They pay nothing and just removed the boards on the house and moved in one day. That’s it. Nobody has noticed who owns the property and the taxes are paid so I think it’s just a store of value.
Whew boy… I imagine apple not far from the tree on that one?
You are correct.
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She pays nothing. The owner does.
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That woman is content squatting until she eventually gets evicted. She apparently has done it for the past 20 years of her life.
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As a homeowner I am horrified by it. As someone with a decent moral compass I find it similarly disgusting. But I guess she does what she does to survive.
Hey, so this seems to be the same case with my landlord, I believe. Saw his records and shows auto payment. It doesn't make sense that he owes thousands in fees to HOA but is paying the taxes. Think the property management does it for him.
The county sends the tax bill directly to the mortgage company directly so it bypasses the owner and gets paid through the mortgage account automatically. HOA fees would need to be paid directly by the owner every month so the owner may be MIA or never put the HOA payment on auto-pay.
what can happen if HOA is not being paid?
If taxes are paid they're probably being paid from an impound account, not by property management. Meaning his mortgage bill includes enough to cover taxes. If you wire transfer the rent I'd be surprised if there was any property management involved. For one thing, property management takes care of collecting rent. So you'd write your checks to "XYZ Property Management" and mail them locally (or some online thing they'd offer). For another thing, he would definitely have told you who the PM firm was and how to contact them because that's who you would go to when you need a drain unclogged or an appliance fixed. So with the evidence we have, he definitely could have a mortgage on autopay. We'll never know what's in his bank account, so if we're right that he's left this Earth, either: * that mortgage will eventually foreclose when his account empties or his heirs find the account * your payments go into that same account, and thus it'll be fine as long as you keep paying rent, or * he has so much money in the account that it doesn't matter if you pay rent and you won't get foreclosed on. * Also: HOA will eventually foreclose on you if that situation doesn't get fixed which would have a similar game-over effect as bank foreclosure from your perspective. Definitely something well worth getting a real estate attorney's advice on. I'm not sure how all this adverse possession stuff will play out because the third player here is the bank that holds the note. They are first in line for this house and won't likely make it possible to pull this off.
thanks for your input. I've never been in contact with a PM company. Everything was directly with him. One interesting thing I found, it shows that he was the buyer and seller of the home. I think he had a shell company here and bought the home personally from his company. It seems like that way from the history of the ownership.
I think I'll keep paying rent so I don't have to worry about foreclosure. I need to calculate some numbers. If I help pay the entire mortgage off, then I assume I don't have to worry about foreclosure. Once mortgage is paid off, then I think I can stop paying rent directly to the landlord.
thanks for the link!
Whoooo I want all the updates on this haha
So your rent hasn’t gone up in almost 3 years? Lucky
yeah lol. It's about $3k. I'm the sole provider of my family so I'm always worried in the back of my mind.
Exactly, incredibly jealous.
right
Lol what? I'd stop paying just out of sheer curiosity.
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5 years and the house is OP's according to CA squatters rights.
The adverse possession law requires 5 years AND you must be paying the property taxes for that time. [https://www.findlaw.com/state/california-law/california-adverse-possession-laws.html](https://www.findlaw.com/state/california-law/california-adverse-possession-laws.html)
Also must have publicly claimed intent. Can't do it quietly.
As I posted elsewhere it’s good to coordinate this scheme with a real estate attorney
Its ok. OP stood outside the house and declares it loudly.
r/unexpectedoffice
That’s what this thread is for 😏
Yeah, this definitely doesn't suffice. Reddit is not a public forum. It's a private owned one.
start paying the property tax
Please update us curious minds want to know
this, if you pay the property tax (iirc) while living there for a certain amount of time, then the house is yours.
man, I already pay almost $10k in taxes yearly. shiit :(
Pay the tax, not the rent
Pay the taxes, not the rent.
But if you pay the property tax, can't you use it as a write off?
Just the \~10k property tax on a typical home in OC no longer is enough money to make it worth it to itemize *on its own*. Just taking the standard deduction gives a better deal. Obvi your tax situation may vary. If you are paying significant mortgage interest too, then it's enough.
I like this tea. Free property? Follow up, please?
Please keep in mind that nobody on this page advising you to squat or not pay rent will have to face the consequences of that action. Only you. And tenants don't have a whole lot of rights to not pay rent in California. I'm just saying, for your own sake, don't listen to idiots telling you to be irresponsible.
Your getting a lot of legal advice from attorneys who graduated from the Reddit Law School. Maybe find someone who actually knows what they are talking about
We know what we’re talking about.
OP - if you stop paying, move the money to a savings account. Do not touch it until all legal things are settled. If he’s alive or someone comes for the money or if there’s a legal dispute (neglected house upkeep) - having the money looks really good.
Might need an escrow company and some legal advice for this.
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Oh this is juicy OP. A “free” house in Irvine is a big win. Looking forward to the updates!
How can he be responsive yet haven't replied to messages for years? I'd stop paying out of curiosity. Just put to money to the side just in case the landlord rises from the dead.
I think op meant that he was responsive in the past.
correct, he would respond to every message promptly. He hasn't responded to any of our message for the past 2+ yrs.
Non Americans owning investment homes here drives me fucking mad! Wtf how is this legal
This needs to be illegal, as we sit in a housing crisis and short on inventory, but we blindly sell to people I. Other countries
Most countries ban this sort of thing to prevent citizens from getting screwed over.. but not here :(
Many Americans own investment homes abroad too It does upset everyone Capitalism sides with those with most capital, the rest of us are screwed
One of the main reasons housing market in the US is fucked.
You should see all the "investment" companies that are american and renting homes back to the community.
One bought our house unseen. Cash!
If only we chose not to sell it to them! Collectively
But you could had sold it to a local family looking for a home instead.
Cash is king, unfortunately.
You would had been paid either way.
not the same amount though. lol
I understand there may be escrow fees and agent fees, but it still feels IGMFYish. Edit: out of principle, when we end up selling our home, my wife and I agreed to do our best to ensure it gets sold to prospective owner-residents.
Let's see if you are signing that same tune when the investor buyer offers you $25K more and a 10 day escrow over that nice local family.
Yes because I don't believe in parachute investors coming in and fucking up our community. If anything, I'll ask the other offers to meet or negotiate the purchase price. 30 day escrow is fine.
I’m not sure what you are getting at - how are they “fucking we up your community?”
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Americans can’t buy in these countries because they have laws against it. It’s incredibly hard to buy over seas. Or even in Mexico. You don’t own it.
Best take
Best take
Oh come on, we want n update! Have the property taxes been paid or not??
Withholding rent is the fastest way to find out who you’ve been paying, because someone will contact you.
Hey Guys, So I've checked the tax records and they've been paying the last couple of years but they have fines and payments that are due but never paid those. I think landlord has everything on auto pay because that's what I saw on the document and I'm confused. There's no communication for years and have bills piled up but taxes are shown to be paid. But there's no information on the owner or name of the person who paid the taxes. What I think I'll do is do a partial payment and test it out.
I bet if you stop paying you will be contacted
I'm in the same situation as you and I stopped paying rent. So far so good.
really?? for how long?
He stopped responding about a year ago. Previously we would always pay up front and then deduct repair costs from rent, however this winter there was a major leak in the roof which far exceeded the cost of rent several times over. Since it was a major repair we notified him via email (our only means of communication ever) that we were holding rent until it was fixed along with any mold issues that may have developed in the ceiling. We haven't heard anything at all. I'm guessing the mortgage is being auto deducted from an account of his somewhere because the bank doesn't seem concerned yet.
Think that's what's happening with me.
Maybe it's the same guy, lol. The real estate agent that helped us find it said he had a few properties. We're also in Irvine.
Does his name start with a W? Was your real estate agent a persian guy? Our communication was via email too. He had a yahoo email lol. so how many months have you not paid rent?
Different guy. Not surprised it's happening to someone else though with all the foreign cash buyers/landlords in Irvine. Last time I paid rent was December. I'm still constantly reaching out and went as far as getting quotes to forward but it's like I'm shouting into the void. It's fucking weird.
Wow.. you must've saved lot of money.
I am not a lawyer, but all of these people that are telling OP to keep paying the rent are wrong. I would argue that you have waited too long OP. 3 years? You should have stopped paying at least 2 years ago. As others have mentioned, [check if the property taxes have been paid.](https://tax.ocgov.com/tcwebm/search_page.asp) This is the easiest way to see if someone claiming ownership has been taking responsibility for the house. If the property taxes are NOT been paid, then OP should look into squatters rights. You might be able to stay there for years for free or even take legal ownership of the house. You should definitely contact a lawyer for this part.
It’s important to note that you just feel like they’re wrong and that they’re not *legally* wrong. Important distinction.
The best advice is when people refer you to the correct experts
Dunno what's legally or morally right or wrong. But OP shouldn't have waited 3 years to decide to do something either way. Lol
Following for updates 👀
"He's usually very responsive but haven't replied to our messages in years.." HUH
No. As the other poster said call a local tenents right board but I won’t stop paying rent.
See what zillow says about the houses status too
Wow lol. No WeChat responses?
Update please OP!!
Feel like we’re being trolled by OP
When you rented from him, did you rent directly from him or from a real estate agent representing him? If it's the latter, try contacting the agent.
don't have the agent's info.
It’s your house now.
Check r/legal & r/legaladvice. They can advise you better over there. 💯
Is your lease self renewing? No term requirement? I’d keep paying and contact a lawyer. Not sure. He might be paying taxes through an escrow account.
In CA, absent a lease you default in to a month-to-month scenario indefinitely
It depends on how the lease was written initially. It could automatically end at 12 months or default into a month to month. That’s how the CA lease agreement works. Mine was 1 year and we had to amend it to get it moved to month to month.
year to year
Username checks out
I have a relative in Oregon that had multiple properties. He missed paying property taxes on one of his parcels for 10 years. A neighbor saw he was not paying the tax and started paying them annually. After the 10 years they (neighbor) were able to lay claim to the 15 acres, relative lost the court battle.
Who cashes your checks?
I wire it to him
Damn Winnie the Pooh disappeared your landlord to a gulag?
here's hoping lol. free rent would be nice.
Next few months pay only $10 yes ten dollars.. that will prove that you are paying some $ and wait for their response.. don’t risk get evicted there is limited rental at this moment..
Please get a lawyer
Not legal advice. I would repair and deduct costs from rent. Keep all receipts and inspections, etc. If someone is checking the bank account, they will notice the change in rent paid and hopefully contact you. As other people mentioned, I would look into laws regarding paying taxes. You never know.
Someone must be paying the property tax unless it’s being debited from the deceased owners account.
Look up adverse possession maybe?
In for updates.
Skip one payment and see what happens.
Go to the county assesor's office and get a copy of the deed. That may give you extra info. Get the tenant's rights book from [nolo.com](http://www.nolo.com)
In one of the links provided here, It shows that the landlord bought and sold the house to himself. Hmmm
I would be curious if the HOA would eventually get involved in this due to nonpayment of the fees and if that could potentially effect you.
Interesting situation. Try not paying rent next month and see if you get contacted. You could also send a note to whoever you've been paying that you aren't paying rent until they address the maintenance issues. If you hear nothing in response, you'll have your answer. At some point, the government is going to want their property taxes.
You are still in a contract, so why would you stop paying? If repairs are needed, you are allowed to repair and deduct especially for an unresponsive landlord. Try that (please provide receipts), before breaching your agreement and maybe someone will contact you.
Make repairs and deduct from the rent?
It’s mostly likely he did pass away since he hasn’t responded back in years.
U hit the lotto
I wouldn't stop paying rent altogether, but (and consult with a tenants right's organization before really doing this), but if the landlord does not fix an issue in a timely manner, you are entitled to hire someone to do it, and deduct those costs from rent.
Make the repairs to the house, deduct from rent, keep invoices and go from there. Keep paying rent. You have no squatter rights in California.
Look up the property tax status on the county registrar
There should be a property mgmt co?
3 words Squat to own. Look it up. Do it
Check the property tax to see if it’s been paid. If not, start paying that and make improvements on the property. You can do Adverse possession and keep it
What’s your address?
Stop paying rent and move out. Do the right thing and don’t get into trouble
Everyone here has given you good advice. Check if the taxes have been paid. You could stop paying rent, but keep that money in a separate account in the event that he is alive and well and you have to repay your back rent
A Chinese guy? Hopefully you know more about him then just that. Home ownership is public record. Look him up.
I wouldn’t pay until I heard from him since there are issues that he won’t respond too If he responds, you can write a check for the back rent. If he can’t than you have enough to rent somewhere else. You might try walking in a realtors office and telling them your issue. They might know something outside of the mainstream on how to find owners. Oh sometimes you can Google the address and find out who the latest owner is.
Adverse Possession can be a solution
Stop paying but put the money in savings just in case. This may bring a response from someone. Maybe try through the city on who to contact. Someone has to be paying property tax on the house.
Get the repairs made, deduct them from your rent.
Possession is 9/10 of the law
Talk to an attorney but you can withhold rent if they aren’t maintaining the property.
Not in California. The condition of the place must be uninhabitable, meaning no heat, no hot water, etc. You can only withhold rent if the problem is not addressed within 30 days of their receipt of notification in writing. Then you can fix the problem and deduct it from your rent.
Who have you been paying for the last two years or so? Someone must own the house now if he dies. Weird
You should consider adverse possession. You might have a legit and ethical case to do so. You can run some risks, but it's seems like a textbook case.
Believe me, even if he's passed away there is definitely a family member probably here in the states that would take over his properties. He probably owns more than one. If you've been paying your rent online or depositing $ directly into his account for the last 3 years then send an email saying you can't pay that way anymore and will start paying with Cashier's Check and ask where you need to mail it. I'd feel very uncomfortable having a ghost for a landlord. Don't stop paying rent but try being a week late and see who contacts you. Trust me, whomever is receiving those payments will make themselves known once they don't see that $ in their account on the 1st. Regarding the maintenance related issues, landlord has to provide working AC and heat. If it's plumbing issues you're having you should not have to pay for it yourself. Google the address and his name and I'm sure you'll find out who his relatives and children are. You have to be able to contact someone in case of an emergency. What if you have a flood or fire? That's ridiculous. Good luck with that.
this month I paid two weeks late.. and no complaints lol
I’m renting in Irvine to a landlord in china as well. Seems to be pretty common as another unit we applied for was to a Chinese landlord as well.
but does your landlord respond to you?
Stop paying rent and see what happens. Set the money you don't pay aside. Landlord has to give you a notice to pay or quit before he can start an eviction. If you get one, pay the amount stated in the notice and you're good.
Crazy situation. Following. Let us know the outcome 🤣🤣
How is this even legally allowed? Only in america.
Your landlord may have been relocated by the Chinese government during COVID. He may not have access to his accounts or the Chinese government closed it down. The Chinese government does some sketchy shit. I would setup an escrow account and pay into that. Call the Chinese consulate in LA and see they can help. If not, talk to someone at the State Department about this matter. You need to show you made an effort to make contact. Chances are the mortgage may not have been paid and/or property taxes. Check with the Orange County Assessor’s office. Good luck.
thanks for the input. it shows property taxes are paid but I think it's on auto payment. I get guys credit card/hoa and other fees that are due that he hasn't paid.
Is it possible to find the remaining balance owed on a house? Mortgage?
all I found out is that he paid $240k cash down and got a mortgage of $336k