Circumstances left taxes unpaid. What happens next. In NJ when taxes are left unpaid your taxes are sold to investors. These investors can then buy your house paying only the value of the the tax lien. It is a Juridical process that only require notice to transfer ownership from you to the investor. A prompt eviction will follow. There are methods to delay this transfer which can permit the home owner time to sell their property, pay off the tax liens and preserve value from the sale for themselves.

How did my taxes end up as tax liens held by someone else?

Residents are notified via quarterly delinquent notices, on official notice of tax sale, newspaper advertisement, and public posting (in 5 Township locales), that a lien on their property is up for sale. New Jersey requires at least 4 weeks of notice be given the property owner, and interested parties, immediately prior to the week of the sale. When advertising begins, additional fees are assessed for the cost of holding the sale, as well as the advertising costs.  The minimum is $15.00, the maximum $100.00, based on 2% of the total prior year’s tax and interest. 

The costs are added to the lien.  Up to two mailings of the notice may replace two publications, and up to $25.00 may be charged for each mailing.  The mailings need not be certified.  These costs are also added to the lien. The advertisement lists property information:  block, lot, last assessed owner, location, type of debt, and balance to be sold.

If you're facing a tax lien foreclosure there are only a few weeks to act, then the window to sell your own property closes and eviction follows. In these cases we recommend the owner hold their own auction.

Attorneys we work with understand the importance of working quickly. 1-800-251-0746.