Q: Lawrence R. asks, “Our home in San Francisco is in our trust. What happens to the property taxes as it passes first to the surviving spouse and then to our only child?
A: Assuming this is a standard revocable living trust, the house will not be reassessed for property taxes when it passes to the surviving spouse. As long as the home is the surviving spouse’s principal residence and qualifies for a homeowners’ exemption, it also will not be reassessed when it passes to the child, as long as a parent-child exclusion claim form is filed properly on time, says Bradley Marsh, an attorney with Greenberg Traurig.