I found a house in my city that has been sitting vacant for about 4 years. The owners are deceased and the property taxes are delinquent. In talking with the neighbors I found out that the owners had no kids or family. The neighbor across the street was pretty territorial since she was a friend of the owners and she actually opened a probate case with the court to be named the administrator after they passed away. The neighbor was not able to pay the fees the probate court wanted her to pay so after a couple of years they just closed the probate case. The court documents show that the owners had one estranged sister that never came forward to claim the property and I don’t even know if she is alive. The home was owned free and clear. My question is if I were to file for quiet title, bring the taxes current, clean up the yard and house a little bit and put a renter in there does the neighbor have a leg to stand on in court should she decide to re-open the probate case? I would have to hold on to the house for 5 years in order to claim the title under adverse possession laws here in California.