Gullah Geechee people offered chance to save family properties passed down through generations

In a move that protects vulnerable people from forced property sales, South Carolina recently enacted an act that could help families keep land that has been passed down for generations. The Heirs’ Property Tax Relief Act , signed into law by Henry McMaster, the state’s governor, on 15 May, prevents counties from reassessing property values when heirs clear their property titles, or resolve disputes about the ownership. The act allows families with heirs’ properties – land inherited by multiple owners who are not listed on the title – to transfer the title between family members without their real estate taxes increasing. Gullah Geechee people, the descendants of formerly enslaved west Africans who retained their culture and customs, are especially vulnerable to heirs’ property issues . They can lead to their homes being sold at annual auctions for delinquent tax payments, predatory development and interfamily fighting. The legislation originated through a collaboration between the advocacy groups Lowcountry Gullah Foundation , the Center for Heirs’ Property, and Habitat for Humanity. Luana Graves Sellars, founder of Lowcountry Gullah Foundation, convened a working group of attorneys and elected officials to craft bills that addressed heirs’ property issues. Since it launched in 2019, the Hilton Head Island-based Lowcountry Gullah Foundation has helped families with heirs’ properties pay off their property taxes and hosted workshops on writing wills. …