An Unpaid Property Tax Bill Can Take a Paid-Off Home, and Four Programmes Stop It

In this video I tell you what happened, and then the part that would have prevented it. Why a widow's income halves and her bills do not, and why November is where this starts How a small unpaid tax bill grows through interest, penalties, fees, and then the sale of the debt to a private buyer who adds charges of their own Why I did not tell my daughter, and why the silence is what turns a small bill into a large one What the Supreme Court decided unanimously in twenty twenty three about counties keeping the surplus, and why it came three years too late for me The four completely different programmes that everyone wrongly calls the senior freeze Exemptions, freezes, deferrals and circuit breakers, and which one fits which situation Why a deferral is a lien and not forgiveness, and who should think twice about it What to ask your county assessor, in the exact words that get a useful answer Why telephoning them changes the outcome, and what the county actually wants If your mother lives alone in a house she and your father paid off together, ask if you can look at the property tax bill with her once a year. She will not raise it herself. I did not. This is general information from public sources and it is not legal or tax advice. Property tax relief programmes differ enormously between states and often between counties within the same state, and eligibility depends on age, income and circumstances. Please speak to your county assessor or treasurer, or a free legal aid service, about your own situation. SOURCES Tyler v. Hennepin County, U.S. Supreme Court, decided 25 May 2023 Pacific Legal Foundation — Tyler v. Hennepin County case file National Consumer Law Center — Supreme Court Stops Equity Theft in Property Tax Foreclosures Lincoln Institute of Land Policy — state-by-state property tax relief tracking