Delegate Delia Kaiser seeks heirs protection program to prevent tax‑sale loss of inherited homes

Delia Kaiser, the bill sponsor, told the Ways and Means Committee that House Bill 11‑48 would create an heirs protection program to ensure people who inherit family homes know about and can access existing homeowners and homestead tax credits and avoid losing property in tax sales. "This is just one extension of it," Kaiser said, arguing the measure will "keep people in their homes" and improve equity and customer service.

Why it matters: Supporters said the program fixes gaps that can leave adult children or other heirs unaware of arrears or eligibility for credits. "We represented somebody in Howard County…a property worth over a half‑million dollars was at risk of being sold at tax sale for just a few thousand dollars," William Steinwiedle, deputy advocacy director at Maryland Legal Aid Bureau, told lawmakers, describing cases where mental or physical incapacity and administrative complexity nearly cost families their homes.

Supporters and evidence: Steven Coppin of the Maryland Volunteer Lawyer Service said his office helps heirs resolve title problems daily and described a client — a disabled, older heir who went into a tax sale while hospitalized — whose situation HB 11‑48 is intended to prevent. Jennifer Bevin Dangle of Economic Action Maryland Fund provided program details and said the homeowners tax credit has income and net‑worth caps ("maximum income is 60,000, and your maximum net worth is 200,000") that make targeted outreach necessary.

Concerns from probate officials: Alexis Burrell‑Roady, Register of Wills for Baltimore County, spoke only as an informational witness and warned that, as drafted, the bill may not actually avoid probate or align cleanly with Maryland probate law. "Heirs when there are heirs and there is an open estate, they don't…own the house that's in the estate. They have an interest in the estate," she said, and urged the sponsor to coordinate the bill with statutory fiduciary rules so the program can function as intended.

Committee action and next steps: Kaiser said an amendment under discussion would delay implementation by one year and align the heirs program with the existing homeowner protection plan run by the Department of Assessments and Taxation. Committee members did not take a vote during the hearing; the sponsor urged a favorable report.

Sources and provenance: Testimony and examples came from the sponsor and witnesses during the HB 11‑48 hearing (topic introduced at SEG 007; hearing concluded at SEG 425). The Register of Wills' concerns about probate interaction were raised on the record (SEG 293–SEG 334).

What remains unresolved: The committee has work to do to reconcile program mechanics with Maryland probate law and to finalize the amendment language and implementation schedule.