I’ve recently been informed I’ve been left property in Harrison County by my late father-in-law and have been approached by a developer who has asked me to sign over mineral rights to this land.
Since I know virtually nothing about my rights and responsibilities on this issue, I need to seek professional counsel from an attorney with background and experience in these matters.
My biggest concern is the possiblity of being responsible for unpaid property taxes on the land if I odfficially acknowledge ownership by agreeing to lease/sell the mineral rights to this firm.
I’ve attempted to contact several law firms in Harrison County reffered to me via the WV Bar Association who speceialize in this type of law via both e-mail and phone, but have not received any responses. Could you refer me to a law firm who could answer some of my basic questions
If this is not possible could you please refer me to one of your associates who can asssit.
@Tony_Mercogliano I think you definitely need to consult. Not acknowledging the land is actually no way to avoid property taxes. What will happen - and we deal with mineral owners a lot on this - is that WV will take your land/minerals and auction them for unpaid taxes and you will lose them all. We’ve worked with mineral owners to try and get back land after a tax sale and it isnt pretty (lots of penalties & interest) and if you dont do it quickly, then you wont have any way to recover it.
You can observe qualified professionals (often with localized expertise) who provide services to mineral owners right here on The Mineral Rights Forum. You will notice them among 3 different instances on the site:
in display image ads and/or brief text messaging on site
as a Business Member participating in many conversations throughout the site (note the blue colored “B” on their picture and blue text on their posts).
These practitioners are often able to provide the specific (and often localized) services that meet your needs.