The one-year occupancy rule, precisely

To keep the parent's taxable value, three things must all happen:

1. The person inheriting must be an eligible child (or qualifying grandchild) of the deceased owner.

2. The home must become that heir's principal residence within one year of the date of death. Principal residence means you actually live there — it's your home address, not a rental or a weekend place.

3. The paperwork must be filed with the county assessor: the parent-child exclusion claim (form BOE-19-P) and, generally, a Homeowners' Exemption claim. Late filings can sometimes get partial relief going forward, but the occupancy itself cannot be done late.

Only one inheriting child needs to move in — if three siblings inherit and one lives there as their principal residence, the exclusion can apply (the details of how siblings hold title matter; this is exactly the kind of specific worth a professional conversation).

The home also must have been the parent's principal residence for the full exclusion to apply. A rental property or second home passing to children gets no exclusion at all under Prop 19 — it is reassessed, full stop.

General education, not advice — verify anything you’ll rely on with a CPA or estate attorney.