Practice Areas
Estate Planning
Practice Areas
If a parent in Tarzana has died and the trust names you as successor trustee, Alice A. Salvo can guide you through each step. She is a Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law, with an office a short drive west on Ventura Boulevard in Woodland Hills. Call 818-676-9572.
A living trust keeps a family out of court, but it doesn’t run itself. When the person who created it dies, the trust becomes irrevocable and the successor trustee takes over. Most successor trustees are adult children who have never done this before. The work is called trust administration, and California sets firm rules and deadlines for it.
The first deadline comes quickly. Within 60 days of the death, the trustee must send a written notice to every beneficiary and every legal heir (Probate Code section 16061.7). Anyone who receives it has 120 days to challenge the trust in court, or 60 days after receiving a copy of the trust terms if that comes later (section 16061.8). Sending the notice on time starts that clock. Skipping it leaves the door open longer.
For many Tarzana families, the house is the biggest asset in the trust. When the owner dies, the trustee must file a Change in Ownership Statement with the Los Angeles County Assessor within 150 days (Board of Equalization Publication 800-9). This filing applies even when the house is held in a trust. Whether the property tax bill goes up depends on who inherits and whether they move in, so it pays to plan before the deed changes hands.
Sometimes the house was never transferred into the trust. A deed signed decades ago, a refinance that moved title back out, or a property bought after the trust was written can all leave it outside. A court petition can often confirm that the house belongs to the trust anyway (Probate Code section 850), which is faster than a full probate case.
Trustee disputes usually start with silence. Beneficiaries who hear nothing for months assume the worst. California requires the trustee to keep beneficiaries reasonably informed and to provide an accounting at least once a year and when the trust ends (Probate Code section 16062). Alice helps trustees prepare those accountings and explain each decision before it causes friction. If a sibling also expects to inherit, read about California inheritance law so everyone starts from the same facts.
If your parent left only a will, or no plan at all, the estate may need court supervision. See our Tarzana probate attorney page and the probate process for what to expect, or when a loved one dies without a will if nothing was written down.
Serving as a trustee shows people where their own plans fall short. A living trust works only for the property actually titled in its name. The trusts overview explains the choices, and the estate planning page lists the documents that go with a trust. If you become ill before death, a durable power of attorney and an advance healthcare directive let your family act for you without a conservatorship case. Parents of an adult child with a disability should also look at special needs trusts.
Alice Salvo earned her J.D. from Southwestern Law School and an LL.M. in Estate Planning from the University of Miami. Associate attorney Levon Gevorgyan focuses on estate planning and trust administration. Tarzana trustees can meet with the firm in Woodland Hills, by phone, or by video. The firm also serves Encino, Reseda, Woodland Hills, and West Hills.
A simple trust can often be wrapped up within a year. The 120-day contest window, selling a house, and filing final tax returns usually set the pace.
Yes. The 60-day notice under Probate Code section 16061.7 goes to every legal heir, not only the people named in the trust.
A petition under Probate Code section 850 can often confirm the house belongs to the trust, which avoids a full probate case.
If you’ve just been handed a trust binder and a list of deadlines, call Alice Salvo at 818-676-9572 or use the contact page.
Last updated November 11, 2026. Meet Alice A. Salvo, State Bar Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law.