Old Jeep doesn’t come with the land, but there are ways to get it
The information in this column is intended to provide a general understanding of the law, not as legal advice. Readers with legal problems, including those whose questions are addressed here, should consult attorneys for advice on their particular circumstances.
Q: We just bought land in Rusk. There is a 1999 Jeep that was left on the land by the owner who sold the property to the person who sold to us. How do we get a title and keys to the car? Our Realtor said the car is ours.
A: Your Realtor is not correct. While it may be true that you would own a refrigerator left in the garage, the same is not true for a car.
Your first step is to determine who has title to the Jeep. You can figure this out easily since the owner of the vehicle is also a prior owner of the land. Once you have the person’s name, try to find contact information online. At that point, you might also want to contact the local police department to see if the vehicle was reported stolen.
If you can’t figure out who has title, you can use the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles form VTR-275 to obtain this information. This form is available at txdmv.gov. To get to the form, type the form number in the search box in the upper right hand corner of the screen on the home page of this website.
Once you know who has title and how to contact that person, ask him or her to either come get the Jeep or sign the title over to you. If the owner agrees to the second option, and you are sent the signed title (along with the keys), you would need to take the title to the Department of Motor Vehicles and change the ownership to yourself.
Keep in mind, there may be a lien holder who wants the car back, so this may present some issues for you.
If the owner will not come get the vehicle and also refuses to transfer title to you, then call the police and have them remove the vehicle from your property. They will try to contact the owner, and ultimately the car could end up being auctioned to the highest bidder.
Of course, you can bid for the Jeep at that point, if you want.
Q: I have a will from 1995 but I can’t seem to find it. The law firm that wrote it is no longer in business. Does the county have a copy, or should I just get another to replace it?
A: The county will have the original (not a copy) if you deposited the original with them. This is highly unlikely, as the vast majority of people who have wills never deposit the originals with the county clerk before they die.
You can check with the county clerk of the county where you lived in 1995 to see if your will is there.
If it’s not there, you will need to sign a new one.
Ronald Lipman, of Houston law firm Lipman & Associates, is board certified in estate planning and probate law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Email questions to stateyourcase@ lipmanpc.com