PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Casey Lee, Staff Attorney at Legal Aid Society, on Deed Theft and Homeowner Protection
2:07:24
·
156 sec
Casey Lee, a staff attorney at Legal Aid Society, provided testimony on the complexities of deed theft and the challenges faced by vulnerable homeowners in New York City. Lee emphasized that deed theft is a multifaceted issue that goes beyond simple property transfers and affects not just current homeowners but also their heirs.
- Lee highlighted the need for more accessible estate planning and probate processes, noting the high costs associated with filing petitions in surrogate's court.
- She called for additional funding for the Homeowner Protection Program (HOPP) network to provide more robust legal services to New Yorkers.
- Lee emphasized the limited resources currently available, mentioning that she is the only attorney handling trusts and estates cases at Legal Aid Society's foreclosure unit.
Casey Lee
2:07:24
So thank you very much for inviting me to speak.
2:07:26
My name is Casey Lee.
2:07:28
I'm a staff attorney at the Legal Aid Society.
2:07:30
We are also a member of the HOP network, and so we provide legal assistance, to many of these homeowners who are facing these g theft issues.
2:07:41
Many of the points that we wanted to submit have already been mentioned by legal services, and so rather than kind of repeat everything and beat a dead horse, I just want to emphasize that this is a very large topic.
2:07:53
This is not I think when we refer to the topic as deed theft, it really simplifies what the issues are.
2:08:01
And so, there are many forms that these predators are preying on our city's most vulnerable homeowners.
2:08:09
Part of or one of the tactics is by purchasing following the tax lien sales and, you know, seeing that as a vulnerable property.
2:08:20
But it goes beyond homeowners, right?
2:08:22
I think working at estate planning is a huge effort, but it doesn't address what has already happened.
2:08:28
People have already passed away without a will, without the means for some of their heirs, even if they have a will, to probate the will.
2:08:36
And so, this is a all again, like, as the, the person from HPD mentioned, this is an all hands on deck issue.
2:08:46
And so addressing making surrogates court more available to New Yorkers who don't have a lot of means to pay the fees.
2:08:56
Right now, ace, just to file a petition in surrogate's court when you have a home is $1,250 if you have an asset like a house over $500,000 That doesn't account for a mortgage on the home, that doesn't account for anything else, but the mere fact that you have an asset over $500,000 And, you know, if you're on a fixed income, you can't afford this amount.
2:09:20
So, you know, we really welcome the opportunity to have more discussions about the multitude of ways that we can assist homeowners and we are obviously at the disposal of the council members to partake in any of these outreach events.
2:09:35
But also, as discussed, it would be great to have additional funding for the HOP network so that we could have more robust legal services to help all of the New Yorkers.
2:09:45
As it is, I'm a team of 1 in the so at Legal Aid, we have a foreclosure unit, but I am a team of 1 that does trusts and estates.
2:09:54
And so I certainly cannot assist every person that walks in the door, or at least on a more wide scale basis.
