Question

Stephanie and Carter are married owners of a Minnesota property that they wish to claim as a homestead. Which of these statements is true?

A. Only one spouse needs to occupy the property to claim it as a homestead.
B. Both spouses must occupy the property to claim it as a homestead.
C. They cannot claim the property as a homestead since it's jointly owned.
D. They can only claim a partial exemption on their property taxes.

Answer 1

In Minnesota, for the purpose of the homestead exemption, only one spouse needs to occupy the property to claim it as a homestead, making statement A the correct choice.

Step-by-step explanation:

Regarding the homestead exemption in Minnesota, which involves property tax benefits and protections for homeowners, the correct statement is: A. Only one spouse needs to occupy the property to claim it as a homestead. This means Stephanie and Carter can claim the property as their homestead even if only one of them lives on the property, as long as the property is their principal dwelling. It is a common misunderstanding that both spouses must occupy the property; however, the law does accommodate situations where one spouse may not be present due to various reasons such as military service, confinement, or other special circumstances.