When You Can’t Pay Your Property Taxes- Ensure Travis County Tax Protest

Your county govt or municipal government has a large stake in collecting property taxes so it can meet the budget. Local govt don’t look kindly on home owners who don’t pay their property taxes and have some incredibly powerful tools that make sure the taxes will be paid sooner or later that might even include selling your home. Now all local govt impose taxes on home owners to municipal and county services that help pay for thinks like utility services, public schools, fire services and police. For these entire unhealthy situations, there is just one way out which is the Travis County Tax Protest.

Interest and Penalties Will Accrue

In case you don’t pay tax when they’re due, your local taxing authority will start to charge interest on your tax account. This typically accrues monthly or even monetary penalties. This means that the total balance you owe to your local government will begin to rise and at some point they will publish notice of your delinquent taxes in newspaper.

You Could Lose Your Property in a Tax Sale

In case you continue to be delinquent in your payment, the tax authority will schedule your home for a tax sale and you’ll receive notice of this. In order to be relieved from all these disturbances, you need to speak with Travis County Tax Protest attorney as soon as possible.

Now, your tax authority can only sell your house at tax sale and render you the deed to the highest bidder. Alternatively they may sell the lien instead of selling your house. The purchase of the lien pays all the tax dues and you owe the investor not the tax authority. In case you will not to pay, the purchaser can file a petition with the court to foreclose on your property and take ownership. You will hardly get a year prior to this last step. However, during this time, many property taxes will continue to accrue.

A Tax Lien Will Be Placed On Your Home

Here, the property tax lien will be placed on your home and recorded and attached to the property informing everyone that you owe someone money. Now, a property tax lien has priority overall other liens and its effect can’t be sold until the property tax bull is paid. This lien can’t get clear title to your home until the bill is paid and lien lifted. So, you can forget about selling house and walk away from your unpaid property taxes.

You Have Options

If you fall behind on your property tax you’d receive notice of the tax sale and speak with the Travis County Tax Protest lawyers very quickly. Depending on where you live, you will have number of ways. For instance, some tax authorities allow requesting an abatement of your tax because of hardship. However, you need to prove the authority that you’ll enough to income to meet your basic living expenses like food, heat, lights, house payment. In case you have many unnecessary expenses in your budget or have a big deal of equity, your tax authority may deny it for an abatement.

You should then be able to apply to enter into a payment plan allowing to pay what you owe in installment. Also, you will have to prove financial hardship to have a payment plan approved.

Some local government and states have special programmes to help financial struggle who can’t pay their taxes. This includes grants and low interest loans. Now, some states also have property tax deferral programmes that need you to pay  a particular percentage of annual income for tax with the state paying the remainder.

A Tax Lawyer Can Help

The law surrounding failure to pay property tax is complex and varies from one state to other. For more detail, and particular info, you should contact a property tax protest attorney.