Gullah Geechee people offered chance to save family properties passed down through generations
A new South Carolina act will exempt some heirs’ property owners from increased property taxes
TL;DR
- The Heirs’ Property Tax Relief Act in South Carolina protects vulnerable people from forced property sales.
- The act prevents counties from reassessing property values when heirs clear titles or resolve ownership disputes.
- This legislation particularly benefits the Gullah Geechee people, who are vulnerable to losing inherited land.
- The law allows families to transfer titles between members without increasing property taxes.
- Advocacy groups like the Lowcountry Gullah Foundation, Center for Heirs’ Property, and Habitat for Humanity collaborated on the bill.
- Heirs' property issues can lead to homes being sold for delinquent taxes, predatory development, and interfamily conflict.
- Families like Anita Singleton-Prather's and Herbert Ford's have faced the loss of ancestral land due to these issues.