One issue that continues to be a consistent problem for many people who lose their home at tax sale is that they do not list their home address as the address where tax bills should be sent on their deed.
Often, it is not even the homeowner who signs the deed certifying their last known address. The homeowner may not realize that a realtor, title company, or someone else listed a different mailing address as the place where tax bills should be sent.
This is very important because the address listed on the bottom of the deed as your last known address is where the tax bills are sent. If the address for your tax bills is different from your home address, the Tax Claim Bureau may not be required to personally serve you with notice of the tax sale in the same way they would if the tax bills were being sent directly to your home.
As a result, some homeowners do not realize there is a problem until it is too late.
The lesson to learn is to check and make sure that your tax bills for your home are being sent to your home address. Also, if you do not receive a tax bill for a property that you own, follow up with the taxing authorities. If the issue has gone on for more than a year, you should also check with the Tax Claim Bureau.
Taking these simple steps can help prevent serious problems later. However, even after the deed has been filed I have been successful having sales overturned.
If you have concerns about missed tax notices or believe your property may be at risk, contact author Michael G. Louis, Esquire, Commercial Litigation and Real Estate Litigation attorney at MacElree Harvey. Early action can make all the difference in protecting your home and your rights.
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