Robert Feline (his friends knew him as Bob Kat) was very stubborn and some may have called him a curmudgeon. He grew up in a large family, having five siblings. Interestingly, neither Bob, nor any of the siblings had children. They all grew up in a house in one of Boston’s nicer neighborhoods. Bob’s parents weren’t much into legal stuff. They never bothered to do wills. They didn’t have many assets, but they did have the house, which they wanted their children to inherit.
Rather than go to the expense and bother of doing wills and related documents, they simply transferred title of the house to all six of their children. Things progressed as expected and Bob’s parents eventually died with title of the house in the names of their six children.
The house was located on land that many years ago had been subdivided into many lots, but they didn’t comply with subsequent zoning restrictions. They were just too small. So, lots had to be combined to allow construction of homes. Bob’s parents’ property actually consisted of six small parcels, each one taxed separately but comprising a single property. Somehow, the six lots surrounded two parcels owned by the City of Boston. No one quite knows how this happened, but the City seems to have taken the lots for nonpayment of taxes at some point in this saga.
Anyway, all of Bob’s siblings had their own homes. Only Bob continued to live in his parent’s house. Everyone was comfortable with this situation and at some point, they all signed a deed transferring title of the various parcels to Bob.
Shortly after the transfer, the archaic septic system servicing the property failed. The property was located in an area that does not make connection to the City sewer system feasible. A new system had to be installed.
Bob knew people. He even knew people who were capable of installing a cess pool. No need to bother City officials with requests for permits, etc. It was a simple thing for Bob’s friend to install a system without involving the City. Who would know, and who would care?
Bob couldn’t believe his luck. He was going to save a fortune. This was good because not only was Bob stubborn, but he was also pretty cheap. He did spring for a will in which he left all his property to any sibling surviving him. By the time he died, only one sister remained. She got the house. Was this a blessing? No.
Bob’s friend built the cess pool on one of the lots owned by the City!
Bob’s sister, who is elderly and not really equipped to deal with matters of this type, just wants to sell the house. But who is going to buy it? And for how much? The value is undoubtedly seriously impacted by the cess pool situation. A buyer will have to find a way to buy the lot the cess pool is on from the City. Chances are very good the cess pool does not measure up to current standards for septic systems, so will have to be removed and replaced with a whole new system, not an inexpensive undertaking.
Once again, had Bob simply done the right thing and consulted, and paid professionals to handle the matter, his sister would not be in such a predicament today. Sometimes inheriting property is not the windfall we think it will be.