Sold Half Of House Without Knowledge

Question: Father dies, leaves house St. Joseph, Michigan, to me and my sister. Sister sells her half to someone outside of the family. He now wants me to pay rent for his half. I occupy house. Was it legal for her to sell her half without my knowledge?

Answer: It may be legal for him to charge rent. We would have to examine the Deed by which you and your sister took title. If you would like we could assist you with this dispute at our hourly rates. Another approach would be to offer fair market value for one half of the home value and pay him off using a bank loan at the current low interest rates. Really, you need to separate this ownership of the home you are living in with a third party. Let us know if we can help.