Ronald Lipman

1 week ago | houstonchronicle.com | Ronald Lipman

Q: My husband and I are over 65, and we looked at purchasing a condo in a high-rise the other day. The homeowners' association fees and the property taxes on the condo would be astronomical if we were to make the purchase. Is there any way to obtain the over age 65 exemption on either the HOA fees or the property taxes? A: You can claim the homestead exemption and the over-age-65 exemption on the condo, just like you can with any other free-standing home you might purchase.

2 weeks ago | houstonchronicle.com | Ronald Lipman

Q: In what circumstances should people revise their estate documents, in total or in part? When are codicils sufficient, and what's the protocol for drafting and including them? A: People revise their durable power of attorney, medical power of attorney, HIPAA releases and similar forms for a few reasons. Sometimes, they need to change the people they have named in those forms because the person has died, is too old or incapacitated, or is otherwise no longer someone they want to name.

3 weeks ago | houstonchronicle.com | Ronald Lipman

Q: My wife turns 65 this year, but she is not listed on the deed to our house. I will not turn 65 for a few more years. How do we apply for over age 65 homestead exemption? Do we even qualify? I know we have to fill out a form for that. Is there anything else that needs to be done? A: In Texas, even though you own the home and are under 65, the fact that your wife will turn 65 this year means that you can qualify for the over-65 exemption for the full year.

1 month ago | houstonchronicle.com | Ronald Lipman

Q: We live in a townhome community in Texas. There is a large tree in the city-owned alley adjacent to our homes. If a storm causes the tree to fall over and damage a townhome, who would be responsible for the damage? Who should we call to get it removed before the next storm season? A: You didn't mention whether the tree is diseased or otherwise a danger to the townhomes. If the tree is healthy, then you can't cut it down, especially because it is on city-owned property.

1 month ago | houstonchronicle.com | Ronald Lipman

Q: My wife and I live in Harris County and we had our wills prepared by an attorney who resides in a different county. He apparently used some other couple's will forms to prepare our wills, because the wills state that we reside in that other county. Will this error cause us problems after our deaths? A: Errors like that are fairly common in estate planning documents, especially when an attorney "dupes and revises" forms that had previously been used for another client.