My mother's house is in reverse mortgage. Is she still liable to pay real estate taxes even though she hasn't lived there for 2 years?

Yes, thats what I thought. When Mom moved out, the RM lender should have been notified. I think the money she was receiving may stop too. The house should have been sold. Back taxes would have been paid and outstanding water/sewerage bills.

Your Mom stills own the house at this point. I would not worry about the taxes or water bill right now. My Mom went on Medicaid 2017 and there was no money to pay the 6k in taxes she owed a year. From May 2017 until the sale of the house July 2019 no taxes were paid. The water/sewer bill was one quarter behind. At closing that, her Medicaid lean and sewer were paid off. The beneficiaries received what was left from the proceeds of the sale.

Thank you for your knowledge and experience regarding reverse mortgages. We notified HUD and told them my mother's situation. Each month they still send a statement. I've now written letters to both the City treasury and RM holders. My mother has outlived all of her assets and has nothing coming in the way of income except her SS and my father's pension. I guess she will have to pay the lowest amount she can afford each month until they decide what to do with the house. Thank you.

Traditionally a reverse mortgage comes due when mom is no longer living there. I would contact the mortgage holder immediately, they will foreclose is nobody can pay the mortgage off or pay the taxes. Then it will become the bank's problem.

when you get a reverse mortgage it has nothing to do with property taxes. Taxes still have to be paid annually.

Worried is right.    Although it's been quite awhile since I've dealt with delinquent issues that arose during commercial real estate acquisitions,  I vaguely remember that taxing authorities may notify mortgagees  of record.  If so, the holder of the RM would have been, or may have been notified, but apparently hasn't yet foreclosed on it if your mother's name is still on the taxes.

If so, and if the RM becomes aware your mother is gone, and assuming there's an acceleration clause in the mortgage, that's what it would do, then buy the property for the delinquent taxes.

It's easier and more convenient for a  taxing authority to sell the tax delinquency to a mortgage company than it is to acquire and maintain the property.   

That was the situation with a local house  Owner died, house was in such bad shape that no one in the family wanted it, so they just left it....for about 6 years.  

A few foreclosures were started then dismissed; a bank acquired it, then neglected it.    I called numerous involved entities, traced it to being acquired by Flagstar, contacted them, they did nothing.    Wouldn't even return my call.   So, again, the house sat vacant and deteriorated, becoming an eyesore.

Snow was left packed down, grass grew to about 18" high, so we neighbors had to keep calling the City to maintain the property.

Eventually after 3 years (statutory in Michigan) the City acquired the property, had to maintain it until it eventually sold it to a real estate flipper.   Another year and a half of 7 am banging and racket during remodeling, and the house finally sold.

If there's no possibility your mother will need Medicaid or return to the home, you may as well notify the RM holder and let them take over the house.   

There's a valid reason for that as well:  with your mother still holding title to the house, technically she's responsible, and that would include for any deterioration or other hazards that might arise.    Even assuming she's still carrying liability insurance, a vacant house is a liability of a different sort.

I carry vacant house insurance on my father's house until I can sell it; it's more costly and less extensive than occupied house coverage.  E.g., there's NO coverage for water damage.   If the house hasn't been winterized and the water turned off, you run a big risk of flood damage if you're in cold weather country. 

And there's the issue of trespassers.  I believe I wrote some time ago that a woman was directed by an observant neighbor to call me and ASK if she could dig up some flowers.    Whatever she assumed, she seemed to think she could just steal plants at will.

And I know that snoopers have been prowling around.  I found their footprints in the snow earlier this year.  

Don't take chances with liability issues.

She owes the taxes. It doesn’t matter if she doesn’t live there. We all have to pay property taxes on any property we own. The reverse mortgage should have been notified when she moved out & they would have most likely taken over the home and sold it.