The pre-1990 single-family neighborhoods south of Ventura Boulevard — the streets that define much of Tarzana — were largely settled by families who bought before California real estate became what it is today. Those homes have appreciated dramatically. The estate plans those families have, if they have them, were almost certainly written before Proposition 19 changed the rules. The gap between what the plan says and what the law now does is where the problems are.
Tarzana sits squarely in the West Valley corridor where Richard Seff has practiced for thirty-five years. The clients who come in from Tarzana tend to share a recognizable profile: they bought their home in the 1970s or 1980s, they may own a rental property or two on the Valley floor, and they have an estate plan that was put together sometime before 2015 and hasn't been looked at since.
The Prop 13 base on a Tarzana home purchased in 1983 might be $65,000. The current market value might be $850,000 to $1.1 million. Under Proposition 19, the rules for what a child can inherit — and at what property tax rate — changed fundamentally on October 17, 2021. Most Tarzana homeowners have not reviewed their plan in light of those changes. Most don't know what those changes actually require.
The office is in Woodland Hills, ten minutes from most parts of Tarzana via Ventura Boulevard or the 101. Most Tarzana clients come to us. We make arrangements when circumstances require otherwise.
Typical year a Tarzana homeowner bought — Prop 13 base from a different era
From Tarzana to Richard's Woodland Hills office
Medi-Cal lookback window — the planning timeline that can't be ignored
For a Tarzana homeowner who bought in the 1980s, the appreciation gap between the Prop 13 base and today’s market value is often substantial — frequently $600,000 to $900,000 or more. Under Proposition 19, the parent-child exclusion for a primary residence now requires the inheriting child to move into the home within one year and establish it as their primary residence. Even when that happens, the assessed value can only increase by up to $1,000,000 above the prior Prop 13 base before reassessment applies.
For Tarzana owners with rental property, the situation is more direct: there is no parent-child exclusion for non-primary-residence property. Rental properties are reassessed at full current market value when they transfer to a child. For a rental purchased in the 1970s with a Prop 13 base of $30,000 and a current value of $800,000 or more, the property tax consequences are permanent and significant.
There are planning structures — coordinated LLCs and trusts — that take advantage of a different set of California change-in-ownership provisions to preserve the low Prop 13 basis across generations. These structures need to be implemented before any transfer occurs, not after.
Skilled nursing care in Los Angeles County currently runs between $10,000 and $14,000 per month. Medicare does not cover long-term custodial care. Most Tarzana families end up paying out of pocket — and the question of how long that lasts is a question about how much the family has saved.
Medi-Cal covers long-term skilled nursing care once eligibility requirements are met. The planning tools that allow families to protect assets — and preserve the home — are real and legal. But they are also time-sensitive. California’s Medi-Cal lookback period is 30 months, triggered by the date of the application, not the date of the transfer. Families who plan before a crisis almost always protect more than families who plan during one.
A warning that applies especially to Tarzana homeowners: do not transfer the family home to your children to help qualify for Medi-Cal. The home is an exempt asset for Medi-Cal eligibility — transferring it does nothing for Medi-Cal qualification. What it does do is trigger a Prop 19 reassessment that your children will pay for as long as they own the property. This is one of the most common and most costly planning mistakes Richard sees in the West Valley.
The most common estate planning failure Richard sees is not a drafting problem. It is an implementation problem: the trust was signed, the documents were filed, and the assets were never moved into the trust's name. A Tarzana home still titled in the owner's personal name — not in the name of the trust — will go through probate regardless of what the trust document says.
California's probate threshold is $184,500 in gross assets, measured at full market value before any mortgage deduction. In Tarzana, where homes regularly exceed $800,000, probate is a near-certainty without a properly funded trust. Combined statutory fees on a $1 million estate run to approximately $46,000 — plus court costs, publication, and bond. The process typically takes twelve to twenty-four months and is entirely public.
The mechanics of that structure are precise. The window to implement them is before a transfer, not after. For Tarzana families with rental property — even one rental — the question of whether a plan is in place is a question worth answering now.
A widower in his late seventies owned five rental properties across the San Fernando Valley — purchased between 1969 and 1999, with nearly $3.6 million in total appreciation. His two daughters planned to keep all five. Without planning, every property would have been reassessed at current market value upon inheritance, permanently and dramatically increasing annual property taxes. Through a coordinated LLC-and-trust structure implemented before his death, the daughters inherited interests in the entity holding the properties — without triggering reassessment at the property level.
— Richard M. Seff — A Verified Client Situation
Our Tarzana clients typically share this profile, though every family is different:
My firm does not operate on a traditional billable-hour model. Estate planning is a relationship that continues as your life, your family, and the law change.
A first conversation, with no obligation. We talk through your situation — what you own, how it's titled, what you've already done, what concerns you most. You leave with a clearer picture of where you stand.
A plan designed for your specific situation. Not a template. A Tarzana family with rental properties needs different planning than a family with a single primary residence. The plan reflects the actual facts.
Full implementation before we consider the engagement complete. Documents drafted, deeds recorded, accounts retitled, beneficiary designations coordinated. The plan is not finished when you sign the documents — it is finished when it will actually work.
An ongoing relationship. I still work with families I first met thirty years ago. Laws change, family circumstances change, real estate portfolios change. The plan needs to keep up.
Yes, almost certainly — but the update you need depends on what you own. If you have a primary residence with significant appreciation above the Prop 13 base, or any rental property, your current plan was written under rules that no longer apply. The parent-child exclusion now requires the inheriting child to move in and establish primary residence, and rental property has no exclusion at all. A review will tell you specifically what has changed for your situation.
Rental property is subject to full reassessment at current market value under Proposition 19 — the parent-child exclusion does not apply. For a Tarzana rental purchased in 1975 for $40,000 and worth $750,000 today, the annual property tax increase upon transfer to a child is permanent and significant. There are coordinated LLC-and-trust structures that use a different set of California change-in-ownership provisions to preserve the low Prop 13 basis. The structure needs to be in place before any transfer occurs.
The Prop 19 parent-child exclusion for a primary residence requires the inheriting child to move into the home and establish it as their primary residence within one year. If your children are settled in other states and not planning to relocate, the standard exclusion does not apply — the property will be reassessed at current market value upon transfer. There are other planning approaches that may help, but they require advance work. This is exactly the situation where reviewing the plan now makes a material difference.
Come in as soon as possible. Capacity is the threshold issue — an estate plan is only valid if the person signing it can understand what they are signing. The earlier in the cognitive decline, the more planning options are available. Even in a more advanced situation, there are tools available — they are more limited and require precise execution, but they exist. The one thing that consistently costs families more than anything else is waiting.
No. The 30-month lookback is a review period triggered by the date a Medi-Cal application is filed. California looks back 30 months from that date and examines asset transfers. Transfers made within that window may create a penalty period that delays eligibility. This is why timing matters: the sooner a plan is implemented, the further back the lookback window extends from any future application date. Planning now means a longer runway.
About ten minutes via Ventura Boulevard or the 101. Most Tarzana clients come to us at 21300 Victory Boulevard in Woodland Hills. Where circumstances require it — particularly for clients with mobility limitations or an aging parent who cannot travel easily — we make arrangements. The first conversation can happen by phone or video before any in-person meeting.
A first conversation is straightforward. We review what you own, how it’s titled, and whether your existing plan still does what you think it does — for the property you have, in the city you live in, under the law as it is today. No obligation. Just clarity.
