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New Delinquent Tax Law FAQQ. If I don't pay my taxes, will I really lose my house & property? A. Yes. Property owners who had delinquent taxes under the old law could also lose their property, but they had more time to pay and more "second chances." Under the new law, if your taxes are delinquent for TWO YEARS, that's it. You've lost the property. Q. What is a delinquent tax? A. A delinquent tax is an unpaid tax that has been forwarded to the County Treasurer for collection on March 1st of the year after it was assessed. For example, taxes that are billed by your village, city or township in 1999 will be delinquent and turned over to the County Treasurer on March 1, 2000. Q. What happens after the property tax is forwarded to the County Treasurer for collection? A. The County Treasurer adds a 4% administration fee and interest of 1% per month. After one year, the property is forfeited to the County Treasurer. For example, the 1999 taxes that are still unpaid as of March 1, 2001 will be in forfeiture. Q. What does it mean for my property to be in Forfeiture? Does that mean I lose my property? A. No. Forfeiture is not foreclosure. If your property is in forfeiture, you still have a year before it will be foreclosed; however the interest and fees will be higher. When a property is forfeited, the interest rate goes from 1% per month to 1.5% per month, back to the date the taxes became delinquent. A $175 fee is also added. Q. What happens after my property is in forfeiture? A. After a property has been in forfeiture for one year, it will be foreclosed. 1999 property taxes will be foreclosed in March 2002. Q. What happens after my property is foreclosed? How do I get it back? A. YOU CAN NOT GET YOUR PROPERTY BACK AFTER IT HAS BEEN FORECLOSED. FORECLOSURE IS FINAL. Property that has been foreclosed upon will be sold to the State of Michigan or local unit of government for a public purpose, or sold at public auction to the highest bidder. Q. I still owe my property taxes from 1997 and 1998. What should I do about those? A. Pay them as quickly as possible. The delinquent 1997 and the 1999 taxes will be foreclosed on in March 2002. The delinquent 1998 tax and the upcoming 2000 tax will be foreclosed upon in March 2003. Q. What if I don't think I'll have the money to pay all the taxes at once? A. If you can't pay all your taxes at once, you can make partial payments. The entire tax must be paid in full to avoid foreclosure. To ensure your payment is applied to your parcel, please be sure to include your parcel number with your payment, and please tell us that you are making a partial payment. In the event that you can not pay all of your taxes before foreclosure, please contact Family Independence Agency at 616-621-2800 for possible financial assistance. Q. Will I receive any notification before my property is foreclosed? A. Yes, five notifications will be made. Two will be by 1st class mail, two by certified mail and the last one by personal service. In addition to these notices, delinquent properties subject to forfeiture will be published in the newspaper. Q. If I refuse to accept the mailed notice, avoid the personal service, or transfer ownership of the property, will I avoid foreclosure? A. No, the County Treasurer is only required to make a reasonable effort to notify the person or persons with a legal interest who appear on county records at the time of forfeiture. Q. I guess I really don't have to worry about losing my property until 2002. Why not wait and pay my taxes then? A. DON'T WAIT! The longer you delay the more expensive it will be--interest and fees are continually building up. Also, remember that there is no statutory relief if you fail to pay because of an unanticipated absence, delays in mail delivery, illness or forgetfulness.
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