The purpose of the revaluation is to cause the tax burden to be more fairly shared by the properties, based on new tax assessments resulting from current true values of properties.

 

The Mercer County Board of Taxation ordered the Princetons to undergo a revaluation of the real estate within their borders when the individual assessment - sales ratios varied too widely within each municipality.  This ratio is determined by dividing the assessed value of a property by an accurate sales price, with the result being a percentage.  For example, if a property is assessed at $100,000 and sold for $200,000, the assessment sales ratio is 50%.  By 2008, these percentages were 40% in the Borough and 47% in the Township. 

 

The valuation of properties must be performed in accordance with state law as set forth in N.J.S.A. 54:4-1 et seq.  For every property, the revaluation appraiser creates a property record card which contains specific information about the physical attributes of the property (e.g., dimensions, age, condition of any buildings, etc.) and other information which may be of assistance to the appraiser (existing appraisals, recent sales, rent amounts, etc.).  The card is created with information obtained based on an actual inspection of the individual premises.  If entry onto the premises is not possible, the valuation will be an estimated one. 

 

In the Princetons, the preliminary valuations have now been established and letters notifying taxpayers recently mailed.  Each taxpayer will be provided with an opportunity to attend an individual informal review of the value proposed with a representative of Appraisal Systems, Inc.  At such time, Appraisal Systems, Inc. may consider revisions to its proposed valuation which may increase or decrease (or result in no change to) the proposed assessment, based on additional input from the taxpayer.

 

Taxpayers will have until May 1, 2010 to file an appeal with the Mercer County Board of Taxation if they are not satisfied with their new assessment.  Thereafter, an appeal can be taken to the State Tax Court within 45 days, with further appeals possible. 

 

Once the revaluation is completed and new property assessments are made by the tax assessor, a new municipal tax rate will be determined.  Taxpayers will then know to what extent, if any, their taxes will change due to their new assessment.

N.J.S.A. 46:21-1 entitled, “Recorded deeds or instruments as notice to subsequent judgment creditors, purchasers and mortgagees,”  makes clear the purpose of our recording statutes.  It states:

Except as otherwise provided herein, whenever any deed or instrument of the nature or description set forth in section 46:16-1 of this title, which shall have been or shall be duly acknowledged or proved and certified, shall have been or shall be duly recorded or lodged for record with the county recording officer of the county in which the real estate or other property affected thereby is situated or located such record shall, from time to time, be notice to all subsequent judgment creditors, purchasers and mortgagees of the execution of the deed or instrument so recorded or of the contents thereof.

N.J.S.A. 46:16-1 sets forth a non-exclusive list of instruments entitled to be recorded.  While, the recording of a document does not affect it’s validity as between the parties to the document, the consequences of not recording is set forth in N.J.S.A. 46:22-1:

Every deed or instrument of the nature or description set forth in section 46:16-1 of this title shall, until duly recorded or lodged for record in the office of the county recording officer in which the affected real estate or other property is situate, be void and of no effect against subsequent judgment creditors without notice, and against all subsequent bona fide purchasers and mortgagees for valuable consideration, not having notice thereof, whose deed shall have been first duly recorded or whose mortgage shall have been first duly recorded or registered; but any such deed or instrument shall be valid and operative, although not recorded, except as against such subsequent judgment creditors, purchasers and mortgagees.

Thus, the principal purpose of New Jersey’s Recording Act is to protect subsequent judgment creditors, bona fide purchasers, and bona fide mortgagees against assertion of prior claims to land based upon unrecorded instruments.

This statutory scheme, is referred to as a “race-notice” system.  A party who is a bona fide purchaser, mortgage holder, etc., for value and without any actual or constructive notice of adverse interests, is entitled to the protection of this statute.

 
The requirements for recording an instrument affecting title or an interest in real estate are not onerous; the instrument needs only to:   

• be in English or accompanied by an English translation;
• bear a signature;
• be acknowledged or proved as required by statute;
• have the names appear typed, printed or stamped beneath the signatures of any parties to the instrument and the officer before whom it was acknowledged or proved;
• have the required recording fee paid;
• include the name and signature of its preparer on the first page and the tax block and lot number if the instrument is a deed conveying real property   

If the instrument meets all the requirements for recording, the county recording officer will then copy it into the record and return the original document to the person submitting it for recording.
   
 

It becomes important to record all instruments affecting title to real estate to protect the recording party, as it will be generally presumed that all persons who deal with the property after that will do so with knowledge of the recorded instrument.

The original 2009 tax credit was part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.  On November 6, 2009, President Obama signed the "Worker, Homeownership and Business Assistance Act of 2009" into law.  The first-time homebuyer tax credit is equal to 10% of the purchase price of a home, up to a maximum credit of $8,000.  It is available to certain first-time home buyers who purchase a main residence on or after January 1 and before December 1, 2009.   This tax credit has now been extended to April 30, 2010.  Closing must occur by April 30th, or a binding contract must be entered into by that date with closing to occur within 60 days.  First-time home buyers who purchased their main home in 2008 are entitled to a credit of up to $7,500. The new credit for step-up homebuyers starts on December 1, 2009.  This article is limited to a discussion of the tax credit available for 2009 purchases, including the recent extension and expansion of that credit.

There are some limitations on the available credit as extended.  First, the credit is only available for homes costing up to $800,000.  Homes costing in excess of $800,000 are not eligible.  Purchasers under the age of 18 cannot claim the credits.

There are income limits as well.  Under the original provisions, you were  allowed the full amount of the credit, i.e., $8,000,  if your modified adjusted gross income was $75,000 or less, if single, and $150,000 or less, if married filing jointly.  These income levels have been increased by the recent legislation so that you are allowed the full credit with an income up to $125,000 for single filers and $225,000 for married filers.  The credit is not available to taxpayers with incomes greater than $145,000 for single filers and $245,000 for married filers.  Between these two income levels for each type of filer, the credit is gradually phased out.  

The credit is available to first-time home buyers who are purchasing a main home, i.e., principal residence, whether it is a house - new or resale - mobile home, condominium, cooperative apartment, etc.  The purchase must occur by April 30, 2010, or the purchaser must have entered into a  binding contract by midnight April 30, 2010 with closing to occur within 60 days.   The purchase date is the closing date, when title transfers to the buyer.  For someone who is constructing their main home (not buying it from a home builder), the purchase date is the date you first occupy it.

If the home ceases to be your main home within three years of the closing date, it is possible that the credit will be recouped by the government.

A first-time home buyer is someone over age 18, who has not owned another main home during the 3-year period immediately preceding the closing date of the qualifying purchase.  If you or your spouse owned a main home during the three preceding years, then neither will qualify for the credit. 

The new tax credit of 10% of the purchase price of a home, up to $6,500, is available starting December 1st to homeowners (and their spouses) who have lived in their current home for five consecutive years out of the eight years preceding the closing on their new home.

General supervision and regulation of all cemetery companies and their property, equipment and facilities is exercised by a 10 member New Jersey Cemetery Board.  N.J.S.A. 45:27-1 While many historical cemeteries exist in New Jersey, any cemetery established after December 1, 1971 must be owned and operated only by a governmental entity, religious organization or a cemetery company organized in accordance with the New Jersey Cemetery Act.  N.J.S.A. 45:27-6.  Those cemetery companies organized after December 1, 1971 must be nonprofit corporations N.J.S.A. 27-7(a).

Before selling grave sites, cemetery companies are required to survey or map out that part of the cemetery where graves exist, showing the location of the graves with roadways, paths and building areas as the cemetery company directs.  N.J.S.A. 45:27-16(b).  The map shall be kept at the cemetery's office and made available for inspection by owners of the interment spaces.  N.J.S.A. 45:27-17 (b) & (c).

The Cemetery Act also requires a cemetery company to keep records of the owner of each interment space that has been conveyed by the company and each transfer of an interment space to which the company has consented.  A transfer of an interment space is not complete until it is recorded on the books of the cemetery company and any required fees paid.  N.J.S.A. 45:27-19(b).

The conveyance document for the interment space shall include the actual amount paid for the space, a description of the space sufficient to indentify it, the dimensions of the space and any other information that may be required by the New Jersey Cemetery Board. N.J.S.A. 45:27-19(c).

Conveyances issued by a cemetery company shall indicate whether the company is transferring title to the interment space or only a right to burial in the space. N.J.S.A. 45:27-28(a). Subject to certain restrictions, the owner of an interment space has the right to transfer that space, or an interest in that space, to any person.  The transfer shall be effective on recordation by the cemetery company of the transfer.  N.J.S.A. 45:27-28(b).

Once human remains have been buried in a grave or crypt, transfer of title can be made by the owner by will, if specifically identified in the will; otherwise, title will pass first to the surviving spouse and the owner's children, if any, per stripes, as equal tenants in common.  N.J.S.A. 45:27-28 (c)(1)(a).  If an owner leaves a surviving spouse, and has children from a prior marriage or relationship, then those children and the surviving spouse shall be owners of the grave or crypt as tenants in common.  N.J.S.A. 45:27-28(f).

Transfer of ownership of an existing grave or crypt containing human remains can also be made to an existing co-owner or to an heir at law of the person buried in the space.  N.J.S.A. 45:27-28(c)(2) & (3).

When there are two or more owners of an interment space, each owner's interest may only be transferred by that owner or such owner's authorized representative.  N.J.S.A. 45:27-29(a)(1).  Co-owners may also designate one or more of the co-owners to represent them by filing a written notice of such designation with the cemetery company.  N.J.S.A. 45:27-29(b).  In such event, the cemetery company shall follow the direction of the representative as to interment in the space.  If no such representative is designated, the cemetery company may rely on the direction of any of the co-owners of the space.

Title to cemetery plots is not such a scary topic, so don't be spooked by the subject!

New Jersey has enacted a law setting forth certain requirements essential for the enforceability of agreements to transfer an interest in real estate.  Those requirements have been codified in N.J.S.A. 25:1-13, the N.J. Statute of Frauds, which states that an agreement to transfer an interest in real estate shall not be enforceable unless:

a.  A description of the real estate sufficient to identify it, the nature of the interest to be transferred, the existence of the agreement, the identity of the transferor and transferee are established in a writing signed by or on behalf of the party against whom enforcement is sought; or
   
b.  A description of the real estate sufficient to identify it, the nature of the interest to be transferred, the existence of the agreement and the identity of the transferor and the transferee are proved by clear and convincing evidence.
 

In most instances, parties to a real estate transaction comply with Subsection (a) above.  A standard written contract identifies the buyer and the seller, describes the property being sold, the type of title being transferred, and is then signed by all parties.  In addition to compliance with the statutory requirements, these agreements also set forth many other terms, conditions and contingencies between the buyer and the seller so that each party will understand their obligations under the sales contract.
 

Even with the existence of Subsection (b) above, which provides a statutory basis for enforcing certain agreements for the transfer of real estate without a signed document, the New Jersey courts have not always found an agreement to be enforceable when the alleged agreement is oral.  This appears particularly so when the negotiations between parties indicate that the parties intend to be bound only by a formal written contract.  See Prant v. Sterling, 332 N.J. Super. 369 (Ch. Div. 1999), affirmed 332 N.J. Super. 292 (App. Div. 2000) and Morton v. 4 Orchard Land Trust, 362 N.J. Super. 190, (App. Div. 2003), affirmed 180 N.J. 118 (2004).   
 

Thus, it is important to put any agreement for the transfer of real estate in writing with all significant terms included and to have it signed by all parties to the transaction to help insure the agreement’s enforceability.

Most contracts for the sale of real estate in the central and northern areas of New Jersey refer to the closing date as an “on or about” or “on or before” date.  This means that while the closing date has been agreed upon, neither party can legally require the other to actually close on that date.  The reason for providing flexibility in the closing date is due to the sometimes uncertain nature of the parties’ schedules, availability of buyers’ funds, lender delays, mover’s schedules, etc., etc., etc.

In order to avoid any unreasonable delay in closing, a specific written notice can be provided to the uncooperative party to set a firm and final date.  Generally, once the contract closing date has passed and all contingencies and conditions in the contract have been met or waived, either the buyer or the seller can make “time of the essence” by providing certain written notice to the other party setting a specific time, date and location for closing.  The time period given the other party of the “time of the essence” date must be reasonable under the circumstances.  (Generally, but not always, this is deemed to be 10-14 days).  While cooperation in agreeing upon a closing date is usually in both parties’ best interest, some situations require a unilateral enforcement of a closing date.  If the uncooperative party does not then close, they may be deemed in breach of the contract.

It should be noted that “South Jersey” contracts (generally those counties south of Mercer County) routinely provide for a “time of the essence” closing which would require the consent of both parties to change the closing date.

Effective as of July 30, 2009, lenders now have new requirements to provide certain disclosure notices to borrowers which may affect closing dates.   In 2008, the Housing and Economic Recovery Act was passed to protect home borrowers from predatory lending practices and provide borrowers with disclosures regarding the cost of their loans in advance of closing.  Regulations were enacted which now require lenders to provide initial mortgage disclosures to a borrower seven (7) business days in advance of any closing.  If there is an increase of more the .125% in the Annual Percentage Rate, initially calculated, then a new disclosure statement must be provided to a buyer three (3) business days in advance of closing.  Thus, with these new regulations, it is possible that a closing date, even if agreed upon by all parties, may have to be delayed to comply with these new regulations.

Thus, both buyers and sellers should be aware from the outset that the closing date listed in a contract, may not be definitive and that all parties should remain flexible in determining a firm and final date.

Who is entitled to such a credit?  First-time home buyers are if  purchasing a main home, i.e., principal residence, whether it is a house - new or resale - mobile home, condominium, cooperative apartment, etc.  The purchase must occur on or after January 1, 2009 and before December 1, 2009.  The purchase date is the closing date, when title transfers to the buyer.  For someone who is constructing their main home (not buying it from a home builder), the purchase date is the date you first occupy it. 

Who qualifies as a first-time home buyer?  You (and your spouse, if married) must not have owned another main home during the 3-year period immediately preceding the closing date of your qualifying purchase.  If you or your spouse owned a main home during the three preceding years, then neither will qualify for the credit.
 

Are there income limits?  Yes, your modified adjusted gross income must be less than $95,000, if  single, or less than $170,000, if married filing jointly. You are allowed the full amount of the credit, i.e., $8,000,  if your modified adjusted gross income is $75,000 or less, if single, and $150,000 or less, if married filing jointly.  Between these two income levels, the credit is phased out at the higher income levels.

This credit is not available to nonresident aliens, or for homes located outside the United States, for  homes acquired by gift or inheritance, or those acquired from a related person.  The IRS defines a related person for this credit to be: your spouse, ancestors (parents, grandparents, etc.) or lineal descendants (children, grandchildren, etc.); a corporation in which one of the buyers owns more than 50% in value of the outstanding stock of the corporation; or a partnership in which you own more than 50% of the capital interests or profits interest.
 

For 2009 purchases, if the home ceases to be your main home within 36 months of the closing date, you must repay the credit by including it as additional tax in your return for the year the home ceases to be your main home.  There are some exceptions to your obligation to repay the credit.   If you sell the home to an unrelated party, the repayment is limited to the amount of gain on the resale.  If the home is destroyed, condemned or disposed of under threat of condemnation,  you will have two years to acquire a new home to avoid repayment of the credit.  If as part of a divorce settlement, the home is transferred to one of the spouses, the  spouse receiving full title is responsible for any repayment the credit.  Repayment is not required if you die; however your surviving spouse may be required to repay his or her half of the credit.
 

To qualify for the credit, complete IRS Form 5405 and claim your credit amount on your 1040 return.  If your credit exceeds your tax liability, the IRS will refund you the difference.

Most restrictions can be found as covenants contained in a deed, in a declaration of restrictions or on a legend on a filed map. Restrictions generally limit or otherwise affect how a property owner can use their lands. Perhaps they involve the distance a structure must be set back from a property line or other structure (unrelated to zoning setback requirements). Or, maybe they involve how a structure may be used (unrelated to land use ordinances). Or, they might even limit who can use the property. Some restrictions are referred to as nuisance restrictions because they prohibit the use of the property conveyed for any noxious or offensive purpose. Restrictions against public policy, such as those restricting use due to race, national origin, etc., are not enforceable.

Restrictions set forth in a deed transferring title, or those appearing in earlier deeds in the chain of title, are binding on a property owner. This is one of many reasons to perform a title search when buying a property - to determine if there are any recorded restrictions which will affect an owner's use of the property.

Some of the more common restrictions involve a neighborhood plan which may impose limitations on the size and dimensions of lots, the location of structures on a lot or how the structures may be used. Many of these types of restrictions were originally imposed prior to the existence of local zoning ordinances. Thus, a land owner could impose his/her own restrictions on a tract which was to be developed. Sometimes, associations were created with authority to approve or disapprove new structures on the lots. In more recent times, developers impose restrictions on subdivisions which are meant to supplement existing zoning requirements, often imposing more extensive restrictions in an effort to preserve a particular neighborhood scheme as envisioned by the developer.

Restrictions can also be imposed by property owners conveying only a portion of their property who want to benefit or protect the remaining portion they are retaining. For example, a property owner who subdivides off part of his/her property may want to prevent anyone owning the newly created lot from building within a certain distance (which may exceed the local zoning requirements) from their remaining lot. The subdividing property owner may also want to impose a restriction to retain the right to approve any new structure on the new lot.

Unless a restriction is deemed to be personal to the grantor imposing it, or there is a specified termination date, the passage of time alone will not serve to terminate a restriction.

As a result of the binding characteristics of restrictions, it is important to review the back title to a property being purchased to ascertain what, if any, restrictions may affect ownership rights to the property.

• Failing to disclose that a tennis court would be constructed on an adjoining property.  Tobin v. Paparone Construction Co. 137 N.J. Super. 518 (Law Div. 1975).
• Concealment of a defective septic system.  DiBernardo v. Mosley 206 N.J. Super. 371 (App. Div. 1986) cert. denied 103 N.J. 503 (1986).

In response to the potential pitfalls involving disclosure issues, most real estate brokers now provide sellers with an extensive disclosure form to complete and sign.  This form is then provided to potential buyers.  Completing this form accurately and thoroughly helps to protect the seller (and the realtor) from claims of misrepresentation or non-disclosure.

Berkeley later sold his share of the lands to others.  In 1676, the successors to Berkeley’s interests and Carteret signed an Agreement dividing the colony into East and West Jersey.  The portion originally owned by Carteret became East Jersey and the portion originally owned by Berkeley became West Jersey.  These two provinces each came to be ruled by a Board of Proprietors who represented owners of fractional shares of each province.  Subsequent transfers of title to these lands were made by the Board of Proprietors and then subsequently by those who had been granted title and their successors in interest.

As recently as 1998, certain remaining lands in East Jersey were purchased by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.  However, no such agreement was entered into for any remaining West Jersey lands.  As a result, it is possible that when researching title to property once located in West Jersey that the research may lead to the West Jersey Board of Proprietors as owners. 

Some lands in New Jersey were also acquired from Native Americans.  For example, the Newark area was purchased from Native Americans in 1667.  In 1669, Carteret purchased some lands from Native Americans as well.  However, by 1758, any remaining land or claims to lands by Native Americans were extinguished by a treaty between the Native American tribal chiefs and then Governor Bernard on behalf of the British Crown and the colonists. 

There has been some controversy as to the actual location of the Division Line between East and West Jersey.  This resulted in three separate dividing lines - each originating near Little Egg Harbor and traversing the State on a diagonal, ending at varying points in northwest New Jersey depending on which line is followed.  One of the lines, known as the Keith Line, has been perpetuated by parts of Province Line Road here in Mercer County.

After the division of the New Jersey lands into the provinces of East and West Jersey, the provinces were later subdivided over time into counties.  There were only eight original counties; four in East Jersey and four in West Jersey.  The original counties of East Jersey were:  Bergen; Essex; Middlesex; and Monmouth.  Out of these counties came Hudson (from Bergen), Passaic (from parts of Bergen and Essex), Union (from Essex), Ocean (from Monmouth), Somerset (from parts of Middlesex and Essex) and Mercer (from parts of Burlington, Middlesex and Somerset).

West Jersey’s original counties were: Burlington; Cape May; Gloucester; and Salem.  Out of these counties came Atlantic (from Gloucester), Camden (from Gloucester), Cumberland (from Salem), Hunterdon (Burlington), Morris County (from Hunterdon), Sussex (from Morris) and Warren (from Sussex).   

As a result of the emergence of newer counties from the older ones, when researching a title to a property, it is sometimes necessary to search title records from a predecessor county from which the newer county originated.  So for example, if one goes back far enough in the title of a Mercer County property, one may have to visit the County Clerk’s office for Burlington, Middlesex, or even Essex counties.

While quiet title actions have historical roots, the remedy available today  in New Jersey is a statutory one pursuant to N.J.S.A. 2A:62-1 et seq..  It is a remedy which permits a person who is in peaceable possession of lands in New Jersey to settle disputes over the title to his land. A person in "peaceable possession" may, when title to his lands or any part of them is denied or disputed, or when a lien or encumbrance is asserted against his lands, use this process  "to settle the title to such lands and to clear up all doubts or disputes" concerning the land.   N.J.S.A. 2A:62-1.

Such an action would be commenced in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Chancery Division.  In order to commence such an action, the party seeking relief must allege that he is in "peaceable possession" and that no action is pending to enforce or test the validity of the defendant's claim to title or an encumbrance.  After proving this, the burden then falls on the defendant to prove his claims.

Sometimes a plaintiff is not able to be in "peaceable possession".  If the lands involved are "wild, wood, waste, uninclosed or unimproved," and if no other person is in actual possession of the lands,  there will be a presumption that plaintiff is in "peaceable possession" if the plaintiff can claim ownership pursuant to a duly recorded deed in New Jersey and that, as owner under the deed, he (or his grantors) has been assessed and  paid taxes for the five (5) years preceding the commencement of the quiet title action.  N.J.S.A. 2A:62-2.

Actions to quiet title may be tried by a jury, upon the application of either party. N.J.S.A. 2A:62-4.

A plaintiff may use a quiet title action to remove any claims created through adverse possession.  Other examples of quiet title actions include removing claims of any heirs, devisees and personal representatives of a long deceased past owner of an interest in the property; or claims of those alleging a lien or encumbrance against the property. 

Under certain circumstances, a single taxpayer can exclude up to $250,000.00 of gain on both federal and state income tax returns and married taxpayers can exclude up to $500,000.00. For married couples, the $500,000.00 exemption requires that they file a joint return in the year their residence is sold.
 

The determination of whether gain on the sale of a residence can be excluded from a homeowner's income for tax purposes depends on whether the property has been owned and used by the taxpayer for a period of two or more years during the five year period preceding the sale. The five year period ends on the date title is transferred. The two year time period, for both ownership and use, does not need to be a consecutive. The time can be aggregated over the five year period. There is, however, a limitation on how often this exclusion of gain can be used. The exclusion can only be applied to one sale every two years.

For married couples to qualify for the up to $500,000.00 exemption, in addition to filing a joint return, either the husband or wife must meet the ownership requirement and both spouses must meet the use requirement. In addition, neither spouse shall be ineligible for the exclusion because he or she sold a property within the past two years. If the married couple does not share a principal residence, an exclusion of up to $250,000.00 is available on a sale that qualifies as the principal residence of one of the spouses.

If a single homeowner, who is eligible for the exclusion of gain benefit, marries someone who elected to use the exclusion benefit within the two years prior to the marriage, the now married taxpayer is only allowed a maximum exclusion of $250,000.00. If a taxpayer has more than one home, only the sale of the principal home qualifies for the exclusion of gain benefit.

There is an exception to the two year requirement for sales which permits a reduced amount of gain to be excluded from income. A reduced exclusion can apply to a sale resulting from a change in the taxpayer's place of employment, health, or certain unforeseen circumstances. In such situations, a taxpayer is provided a reduced exclusion based on the portion of the two year period for which ownership and use requirements are met.

The Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 modified Section 121 of the Internal Revenue Code to provide this exclusion of gain benefit. It replaced the prior law which provided rollover and one-time exclusion provisions for the sale of taxpayers' residences and replaced it with a simpler law which no longer requires a taxpayer to continually "trade up" to benefit from substantial tax savings.

New Jersey provides an equitable remedy known as partition. The term “partition” means the division of property among co-owners. Real property held by co-owners as a tenancy in common or a joint tenancy (but not by spouses as tenants by the entirety or by N.J. registered domestic partners) may be partitioned. The process for doing this is governed by New Jersey statutory law. N.J.S.A. 2A:56-1 et seq. Any co-owner can seek a partition, provided he/she has not previously waived their right to do so.

While properties can be physically divided by the Court and distributed among the co-owners, this is not common and generally applies only to vacant land. If there is to be a physical division, then the Court may appoint a commissioner to recommend a proposed division of the property. More often, the Court will order a sale of the property and an equitable division of the proceeds among the co-owners. The Court may direct the sale of property if it appears that a partition of the property cannot be made without great prejudice to the owners, or persons interested in the property. See N.J.S.A. 2A:56-2. The Court may also order a partition which would permit one co-owner to purchase the interest(s) of the remaining co-owner(s) in lieu of a physical division of the property or a court-order sale.

It is not unusual for a party to a partition action to seek an adjustment by the Court of sale proceeds to take into account any taxes paid by an owner in excess of the owner’s fair share, or repairs or other improvements made by a co-owner which increased the value of the property. A co-owner may also want an adjustment for the use of the premises by another owner or by another owner’s failure to properly maintain the property.

In certain instances, frequently with commercial property, the Court may decide to appoint a receiver to oversee the property and collect rents and other income and pay expenses during the course of the litigation.

Co-owners should recognize that anytime it is necessary to resort to the courts significant additional expenses are incurred, whether it is for attorneys to properly represent co-owners’ interests or for commissioners to propose a division of the land or receivers to oversee the property. It is always worthwhile to attempt to work out an amicable solution among the co-owners. However, if that is not possible, there remains a partition action with the Court.

Under the roll back provision, if the use of the property is changed from agricultural/horticultural to another use, or if the land fails to qualify under the act, the municipal tax assessor will impose an additional tax.  This tax, called a “roll back” tax, is an amount equal to the difference, if any, between the taxes paid or payable on the basis of the farmland assessment and the taxes that would have been paid if the property had been assessed for non-agricultural purposes.  This “roll back” is effective not only for the current year but also for the two immediately preceding tax years.  The two prior years are reassessed and the property bears the full burden of the additional assessment.

The tax assessor for each municipality determines if a property qualifies for farmland assessment for the year.  This determination is based on an application for farmland assessment for the year, which must be completed and returned to the tax assessor’s office by the property owner on or before August 1 of the prior year, e.g., applications filed by August 1, 2008 are to qualify land for farmland assessment in 2009.  The tax assessor’s office will make a determination as to whether the property qualifies for farmland assessment for the year.  If the property no longer qualifies for farmland assessment and if there has been a change in use, roll back taxes will be instituted for the current year and the prior two (2) years.

When purchasing property which is assessed as farmland, a Buyer should confirm that an application for farmland assessment has been submitted and approved.  The Buyer should also be prepared to continue the farming use to take advantage of the reduced taxes resulting from the farmland assessment.  An unaware Buyer who ceases to use the property for farming may find the property subject to significant roll back taxes.