The people who receive the remainder interest usually don’t think much of it because they can’t use the property now, but the law considers it an asset that they own right now. If you need a bankruptcy it can be a big problem. A remainder interest can be bought and sold, and there actually is a market for such things. There are investors out there who buy them. Most of the time the value of the remainder interest is enough so that it becomes impossible to file a Chapter 7. The will trustee claim the remainder interest as an asset for the creditors. It could make a Chapter 13 difficult too.
When I explain all this to somebody who is unfortunate enough to have one of these things, they often will say “well then I’ll deed it back and get rid of it.” My response to that idea is that it would be considered fraud to do that. There are both state and federal fraudulent transfer statutes that make it possible to undo the transfer when it is for the purpose of hiding an asset from creditors. When it is done in anticipation of a bankruptcy, it might be considered bankruptcy fraud which is actually a felony. Concealing an asset can be grounds for having a bankruptcy case dismissed without a discharge, even though the trustee might recover the asset from whoever it was transferred to first. So you can lose the asset, keep all your debts, and maybe be charged criminally besides. It’s hard to believe it can get that bad but it can.
Before filing a bankruptcy for someone, I often ask them to check with any elderly relatives who might have done one of these arrangements. I need to know for sure that no such property interest exists.
A couple of years ago the Minnesota legislature created a new alternative to the life estate. Now one can do what they call a transfer on death deed. The difference between the deed creating the life estate and the transfer on death deed is that the latter is revocable. It has no effect until the grantor actually dies, so what it really does is create a right to inherit a particular piece of real estate without putting the property through probate. For bankruptcy purposes this new idea scares me. I’m not sure if I trust it. I would want to be sure that it was tested in some court decisions before I rely on it.
I really liked your valuable and informative post! Well done!Vacation
I never knew life estates have so many implications. I will consider my approach! Kevin Man
I am not sure where to begin. I am a victim of life estate fraud. I bought my mothers house because she was in financial trouble. She gifted me what little equity she had left which I applied to the down. In return I gave her a cheep rent that she could afford, but she did not have to actually pay anything until the amount of equity she gifted was used up in rent. This later agreement was “off the table” though. A year after I bought the house I tried to do an second on it so I could buy another house for myself. I learned that I could not because there was a “Life Estate Claim” recorded on my deed. I did not know what a life estate was, but I sure found out.
My mother filed a lifecestate claim signed only by herself and recorded it with the county. The county assessor refused the claim but kept the claim attached to my deed. I can not sell the house or borrow against it. Now the house has increased in value 50k from when I bought it and my mother is sueibg me to get her house back for less than unpaid for it because she says,”that equity is my retirement and I need it”.
Life estates should be illegal. They serve no lagitimate purpose. I have lost over $10,000.00 in legal fees trying to defend my title. The title insurance is denying my claims. Now I am facing bankruptcy even if I do sell It back to her at a loss. My advice. Always check your titles for any such claims, and NEVER help family.