Expert: Nancy Torres - 10/28/2009

Question
I am hoping that you can help.  My fiance's family is having issues with property title in Puerto Rico.  A great grandfather passed and left land to his children.  The surviving child (my fiance's grandfather) passed and since there is no will, the land will pass to his children.  My fiance's mother is one of the children.  She has also passed.  Now, my fiance and his six siblings would like to know how to go about tracing the property, or finding the actual parameters of the property through a name search, so that they can proceed with the necessary steps to secure their mothers' share.  The land is located in Aguadilla, PR. Your guidance is much appreciated.

Tina Miller (Philadelphia, PA)

Answer
Hola, Tina.
I got your question from the question pool and it is my pleasure to be of help.
My suggestion is that you start by checking the status of the property in the Property Registry.  In that way, you will learn what was registered and what is needed to be done.
You should also check the status of the property in the Property Tax Office.  
It is important for you to know that for each person that was an inheritor and passed away, an inheritors' deed must be prepared.  You should get started in the process to update the ownership of your property here, as it could get more and more complicated as time go by.
Try to get the help of a relative or friend to help you with your search.  If that is not an option for you, contract someone that can do the job for you - here is a link for real estate related services in Puerto Rico, including expediting, research, legal help, etc.:

http://www.myrealtorinpr.com/

Saludos desde Puerto Rico,
Nancy

Nancy Torres Luna
AllExperts - Puerto Rico