Trusts and estates in Riverside
Riverside has a lot of houses that have been in the same family since the citrus era, carrying a Proposition 13 base that bears no relationship to what the house is worth now.
What this looks like in Riverside
California has changed what happens to that base. The parent-to-child exclusion from reassessment now applies only where the home was the parent’s principal residence and the child makes it their own principal residence, and it is capped in value.
For families who intend to keep an inherited Riverside house as a rental, or to hold it jointly among siblings while deciding, the practical outcome is generally reassessment at market value — a materially different annual cost than the one the family is used to.
What gets examined
- Whether the principal-residence conditions for the exclusion can actually be met
- The filing deadline for the exclusion claim with the Riverside County Assessor
- How title is taken among siblings, and what that does to a later sale
Common questions
- My parents’ Riverside home has a very low property tax bill. Will I keep it?
- Only if you occupy the home as your own principal residence and file the exclusion claim in time, and even then the exclusion is capped — value above the cap is added to the reassessed base. If the home will be rented or held vacant, expect reassessment at current market value. The claim is filed with the Riverside County Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder, and the window after a transfer is short.
- Do you meet with clients in Riverside in person?
- Yes. The office is in Riverside and we recommend meeting there in person for a first consultation. If that is not practical, we can meet by video on Zoom, Teams, or Google Meet.
How trusts and estates works in full|Everything in Riverside
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