General Credit Topics

[Murphym]

Hi - Does anyone have experience with unpaid real estate property taxes?  Are unpaid real estate property taxes reported by credit reporting bureaus?   I know that IRS and state income property tax liens are reported, can someone clarify if credit scores are affected by unpaid real estate property taxes?

[203bravo]

Like city, county, and state property taxes?  They will post something in the paper and auction your stuff at the court house steps.

Don't play with them - call and get something worked out SOON.  Best of luck.

[marty56]

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203bravo wrote:

Like city, county, and state property taxes?  They will post something in the paper and auction your stuff at the court house steps.

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LOL In Bexar county, my home would be foreclosed on long before I got the ScoreWatch alert from EQ.

As 203bravo said, take care of this as your #1 priority. 

[Murphym]

Actually, it is a property that my mother owns, and neither of us live there.  She no longer wants the property and is planning to walk away from it.  I am NOT on the mortgage loans, but I am on title, and the real estate tax bills have both our names on it. She doesn't want to pay the taxes right now. So, that is why I was inquiring as to whether slow real estate tax payments or non payments that should have been paid to the county assessor, show up on credit reports...

[cobra19]

Delinquent RE taxes do not show up on your credit reports. Late mortgage payments do. Foreclosures do as well.

[laz98]

what if they get a judgment against you?

i want to say this happened to my parents.

[Cleanmachine]

Things to consider;

The Taxing Jurisdiction has the authority to place a Sheriff's Sale on unpaid property taxes.

A Judgment (Tax Lien) could be entered in both names. Which would be placed on your credit report.

They also have the authority to place a Tax Intercept on both Federal and State Taxes.

If the property is in both names, you both are equally responsible.

Since property taxes are currently tax deductible on Federal & State Returns, I would suggest paying them.

Why open a can of worms that could be very frustrating to resolve?

[GFer]

And a Tax Lien stays A LOT longer than any old collection....

from someone who knows...

[jb1004]

Not sure about your whole situation, but if there isn't a lender involved with the property, why not just find someone to buy the property from you for the amount of the tax assessment.  If there is something owed on the property and you stop paying on it the bank will eventually foreclose on the property (assuming it's not contaminated or completely worthless).  The bank will then pay the tax assessment as it is a prior lien that comes ahead of their mortgage/deed on the property.  I'm not sure how the laws are where you are, but in Missouri after there are 3 years of delinquent real estate taxes on a property, the county will have a tax sale on the property the following August.  I imagine if the property sells for less than what is owed, they could get a judgement against you at which point it would show up on your credit bureau.

[Murphym]

I'm curious...How would the unpaid real estate property taxes be reported on your credit report if your social is not tied to the property taxes?