The easiest answer is that your home can be foreclosed on any time after the property tax bill is due. However, the taxing authorities don’t usually move to start foreclosure proceedings until the homeowners have had an opportunity to repay their property taxes. Most counties don’t want to kick families out of their homes, so they provide as many chances as possible for you to make things right. In this blog, the Home Tax Solutions team will walk you
through what you can expect from the time you receive your property tax bill until the state is likely to begin foreclosure proceedings. You can always reach out to the Home Tax Solutions office nearest you to find out more or get started reviewing your home tax loan options. We’ll be using a 2019 property tax bill an example:
2019
October – Property Tax Bills Go Out
Your property tax bill should arrive sometime in October. You will have until May 1st to challenge the appraised value of your home before paying your property tax bill, which, unless otherwise designated, is due on January 31st of the following year.
2020
January – A Lien Is Placed On Your Home
On the first of January, a lien is attached to your property to ensure the taxing authority’s ability to collect the property taxes and any interest and late payment fees after the due date. This lien is released as soon as your bill is paid.
February – Penalties & Interest Accrues
On February 1st, your property tax bill will increase by 7% (an additional 6% late payment penalty and 1% interest). Both the late payment penalty and interest continue to increase by 1% each month until July.
July – The State May Take Legal Action
In July, the late payment penalty will jump to 12% and stop increasing, but the interest will continue to increase by 1% each month. Since the county typically turns delinquent property tax bills over to lawyers for collection at this point, you may see an added penalty up to 20% of your property tax bill that goes toward covering attorney fees.
October – Foreclosure Proceedings
Technically, the state can foreclose on your home at any time after January 31st, but the majority of counties want to exhaust all their options first. In most cases, that means the county will wait at least a full year before beginning foreclosure proceedings.
Don’t Lose Your Home! Work with Home Tax Solutions Instead!
While you may have as much as a year before your taxing authority begins foreclosure proceedings on your home, we don’t recommend you wait that long to take action to prevent this. As soon as you know you’re not going to be able to cover the cost of your annual property tax bill, reach out to a Home Tax Solutions office near you and get started planning to pay your property taxes and get back on track. The process takes less than 10minutes, and our licensed and tenured loan officers have assisted thousands of clients since 2005.
