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answered on Sep 5, 2023

A "living will" is an advance directive that expresses one's wishes with respect to end of life medical decisions. My guess is what you meant to write was "last will and testament" or simply "will". It is very uncommon for a married couple to make a joint will... View More

Assuming that your late father lived and died in Puerto Rico, and having a copy of your father's death certificate, a request can be made to the Office of Notary Inspections ("ODIN", by its Spanish acronym), with whom are filed all the wills subscribed in the Commonwealth of Puerto... View More

After November 28, 2020, Puerto Rico rule of law determines that the heirs of an estate are the deceased's spouse and children. Before that date, the estate belongs to the deceased's children with an inheritance lien in favor of your widowed mother (called in Spanish, "la cuota... View More

I'm assuming the change in ownership to which you refer is with the Puerto Rico Municipal Income Collections Center ("CRIM", by its Spanish acronym). When more than two owners are involved (i.e., when a community property is filed with CRIM), there are two forms that should be used.... View More

The Rule of Law in Puerto Rico for hereditary estates is that the heirs, having accepted their inheritance, subrogate themselves in the deceased place regarding the estate's assets and liabilities. If an estate is more debt than assets, the heirs may repudiate their inheritance. Be advised... View More

You do not provide enough information to answer your question. Several factors that affect the costs are: how many heirs are there? Are they all alive? If any have died, did he/she leave descendants? Are these descendants all alive? Are any heirs minors (underage)? Did the deceased leave bank... View More

You can retain the services of an attorney in Puerto Rico, even if you live in New York. You do not state who hired the attorney who requested your birth certificate. Neither do you mention whether you're an only child or whether you have siblings. It seems that your late father did not leave... View More

Primer paso (si ya no lo ha hecho) debe ser solicitar, mediante Petición al Tribunal, que se expida carta testamentaria a su favor como albacea. Para esto, debe otorgar declaración jurada aceptando usted el cargo de albacea. Esta declaración jurada se envía al notario que autorizó el... View More

Under Puerto Rico law, an incapacitated individual's property may not be transferred to another person. Nevertheless, the administration and care of said property may be assigned to another. The healthy spouse would need to incapacitate the spouse suffering from dementia and/or alzheimer, and... View More

So long as you are the current sole owner of the land, you can lease said real estate to an individual or entity. Nevertheless, a lease contract is temporary by nature. Allowing a third party to erect a permanent structure on your land, of which you're not the owner, exposes you to legal... View More

There are three ways in which an heir can transfer his/her hereditary rights to another: by ceding said rights to another, by donating the rights or by repudiating his/her inheritance. The first two must be done by subscribing a deed (escritura) before a notary, with both the donator and the... View More

From the scenario that you paint, Option 2 (going through the Puerto Rico courts) seems the better alternative. It will force an appraisal of the real estate, to determine each heir's share in the estate. Any expenses incurred in maintaining the property or even increasing its value will be... View More

I'm assuming that your aunt left a Will upon her demise. The date of your aunt's death will determine the answer to your question. If your aunt died before November 28, 2020, her estate is subject to the Puerto Rico Civil Code of 1930. After November 28, 2020, her estate is subject to the... View More

You need to speak with a PR estate planning attorney if the property is in PR as you have stated. Things to consider include, is there a Will, what does the property deed say, is there a Trust? It is possible the property will pass to your mom per PR laws, Will and or other estate planning that is... View More

When a close relative dies, such as the case of your grandfather, the first thing that needs to be done is whether the deceased died having left a Will or not. If no Will exists, a Declaration of Heirs must be petitioned from the Puerto Rico court. Depending on when your grandfather died, the court... View More

I'm assuming that the will was granted in Puerto Rico. If that's the case, the Puerto Rico Notary Law demands that an attorney-notary who has authorized a will must notify a certified copy of said will with the Office of Notary Inspection's Registry of Wills. If your sisters wish to... View More

You don’t state what form did your dad’s recognition of your (apparent) sister take. If your dad recognized her as his legal daughter in a Last Will & Testament, she would only need to provide proof of identity. With no Will, you’d both need to go before the court for a Declaration of... View More

There are many questions yet to be answered in your request. Did either grandparent leave a will? were declaration of heirs petitions brought before the Puerto Rico courts? were their estates liquidated during your deceased mother's lifetime? Do you have any siblings from your mom? How many... View More

Puerto Rico Civil Code does not allow for donations to be made which may be perjudicial to an heir's share, should the donor die. That being said, a legitimate scenario would be for the two married couples incorporate or establish a commercial society, and transfer the property to the... View More

Since your grandmother resides in Puerto Rico, your question would be better directed to attorneys in Puerto Rico instead of New York. However, regardless of the jurisdiction, a living will does not address the disposition of property but merely the care of someone who may become incapacitated.