A friend of mine that I lived on his property for 15 years sign a document stating he wanted to donate his property to me when he died. That was 2 years ago. I was told not to bring the paperwork to the courthouse till after he passed. One year ago he was admitted to the nursing home. I've paid the property taxes the past2 years. Can the nursing home take the property from me when he passes?
If this man has family or a State guardian, they may not be aware of this paperwork. Even so, if the property needs to be sold, oh well. If this document did not have witnesses and was not notarized it may not be legal. You need to see a lawyer.
Medicaid will do first dibbies on clawing back likely.
Once all creditors are paid by the estate, then other beneficiaries of the remainder of the estate can put in a claim.
I am sorry you paid taxes on a property that wasn't yours. I think it may be lost.
Ultimately this is a law case, so do see an attorney with all facts in the case.
I wish you the best.
Paying property taxes does not an owner make, not in 2 years.
As Beatty states, the property is not "donated" to you, even if you are a 501C3 (non-profit) organization -- it is bequeathed to the organization. You can't donate something (in legal terms) to an individual. This is called a gift. If your friend "gifts" you the property (in other words he signs the deed over to you with no money exchanged) then Medicaid would look at this as gifting and he may lose this financial benefit.
You, having paid the property taxes, means nothing in terms of ownership. If you do a little research online, in most states it never leads automatically to ownership.
If your friend wants you to have the property when he passes, he would need to create what qualifies as a legal Will in his state of residence. And he cannot be cognitively impaired when he does so.
This means you are a beneficiary in a will.. maybe not a legal will at that.
Whether a legal document or a scrap of paper, a will deals with how to disperse a person's assets (goods, money, shares, property) after they die.
You have no control over what they will have (or not have) at that time.
Assets may need to be spent or traded for care long before death.
Who is POA for your friend? That person would know how the NH is being paid - although would hold no obligation to share that info with you.
See if anyone can advise you here, but please seek your own professional legal advice.