Real estate tax dead beats

**gigster** · 07-18-2012, 06:59 PM

We have scumbag neighbors across the street who did not pay their real estate taxes for two years. A neighbor called Bobby Henon about it and he said there was nothing that he could do. My husband called the city solicitor's office attached to the delinquent property and was told that even though the neighbors had not paid taxes for 2011 or 2012 they were not considered "delinquent". She would not answer my husband when he asked how long a person has to be in arrears before they start some kind of collection or foreclosure action.This being the case why do any of us bother to pay our real estate taxes? We are the dummies for putting up with this.

**annie** · 07-18-2012, 07:59 PM

$1,500 is the amount of liens needed to go to sheriff's sale. Have the liens for 2012 started yet?

**gigster** · 07-18-2012, 09:02 PM

They owe over 6300 for 2011 and 2012 combined. Taxes and penalties I just double checked. There is a lien for 2011 none for 2012.

**nickster** · 07-18-2012, 10:35 PM

Let's just stone them to death and be done with them already.

Look, times are tough and many people are still out of work and their UC has run out. People who have been lucky enough to find jobs are making less than they were making before they lost their jobs--particularly women age 50 and older. Others, or family members, have medical conditions they are forced to cope with along with higher co-pays. Do the math. For the middle class, even those who have not experienced job loss, everything is going up except income. You can't get blood from a stone. Three years ago, your neighbors were current with their taxes. Now that taxes have gone up every year, and are going up again for 2013, they simply can't afford them, most likely because of some unforseen financial crisis. I honestly don't think most homeowners just decide to not pay their real estate taxes unless they are experinecing extenuating circumstances.

**gigster** · 07-19-2012, 06:47 AM

I should have mentioned that it is a drug house. While I agree times are tough the city does nothing to collect on delinquent homeowners or they would not constantly be raising our taxes. There is no reason to do so.

**lemko** · 07-19-2012, 08:39 AM

I understand if times are tough. Even those who have jobs are struggling and their employers are pushing them to the breaking point. Another phenomenom is that folks who have run out of UC are now applying for SSI Disability. More poeple went on Disability than found jobs for the past couple of years. This is a really disturbing trend! Are these folks malingerers or did chronic unemployment cause them to be physically and/or mentally ill?

If your neighbors are otherwise decent folks, I'd leave them alone. If they are scumbag drug addicts/dealers, come down on them like the hammer of God! Just because one is poor doesn't mean one has to be a scumbag!

**LUCas** · 07-19-2012, 09:20 AM

Originally Posted by gigster

This being the case why do any of us bother to pay our real estate taxes?

Unfortunately, my mortgage company bills me for it. Otherwise, I wouldn't. It's optional, after all.

**lemko** · 07-19-2012, 11:17 AM

Originally Posted by LUCas

Unfortunately, my mortgage company bills me for it. Otherwise, I wouldn't. It's optional, after all.

I think a lot of these tax deadbeats are those who were lucky enough to get Grandma's house for a dollar after she passed on. Nobody who has responsibly paid a mortgage for years and has a lot of skin in the game would recklessly have their house siezed due to a tax delinquency. The bill you get from the bank is property taxes+ mortgage+insurance. The bank protects its interests by requiring the borrower to have insurance and taxes paid into an escrow account because they don't want to be holding the bag if the place burns or the tax man seals up the place and puts a lien against it.

**Captain Awesome** · 07-19-2012, 11:38 AM

Originally Posted by gigster

A neighbor called Bobby Henon about it and he said there was nothing that he could do.

Sure there is. They can vote to raise my property taxes substantially through AVI. You can't pay? You don't want to pay? No problem, we'll just get the poor schmuck who follows the law and pays his taxes to dig a little deeper and shell out a little more.

It amazes me that the city cries poor but doesn't do everything possible to collect the millions of dollars in delinquent taxes and fines.

**darthsinatra** · 07-19-2012, 11:44 AM

To the OP: you have options beyond L&I. Get yourself a lawyer and start sherriff sale proceedings. File a judgement against the property owners. Get your neighbors to do the same. You'd be surprised at the results. I am not an attorney. But call one. Today.

**kbjc72** · 07-19-2012, 11:59 AM

Did you mention the drug issue to Henon's office? They should be able to forward your complaint to Narcotics if drug dealing is taking place.

**nickster** · 07-19-2012, 02:47 PM

Oh, it's a "drug house," too? How could you forget that little piece of important info? If they owe back taxes and it's a "drug house" and if they're not maintaining the property, then they would be "bad neighbors" according to Councilman Henon. That's his new agenda so his office should certainly be able to do something about it. Otherwise, he's talkin' out of both sides of his mouth.

**gigster** · 07-20-2012, 06:56 AM

When my neighbor called Henon's office and mentioned that they were druggies he did not care. When my husband spoke to the woman at the city solicitor's office he mentioned that and she did not care. And BINGO - they inherited the house when the owner's parents died!

**lemko** · 07-20-2012, 09:06 AM

Originally Posted by gigster

When my neighbor called Henon's office and mentioned that they were druggies he did not care. When my husband spoke to the woman at the city solicitor's office he mentioned that and she did not care. And BINGO - they inherited the house when the owner's parents died!

Tell it to the media and post it all over the web how Bobby Henon doesn't care! Maybe THAT will get his attention! The man's as useless as a wet match.

**sharkey** · 07-20-2012, 12:07 PM

Originally Posted by darthsinatra

To the OP: you have options beyond L&I. Get yourself a lawyer and start sherriff sale proceedings. File a judgement against the property owners. Get your neighbors to do the same. You'd be surprised at the results. I am not an attorney. But call one. Today.

You can't file a judgment because the property owners don't owe you anything---they owe the City. You can go to the Dept. of Revenue and pay $800 (minimum bid) to get the property to Sheriff's Sale. It will take at least a year and if you are not the successful bidder you will get your $800 back. If you are the successful bidder it will now be your job to get the junkies out. Oh, and if the City has sold the lien to PAID you can't do a damn thing except tell the collection agency that you are interested if they ever decide to put it up for Sheriff's Sale.

**sharkey** · 07-20-2012, 12:09 PM

Henon is only concerned with problem houses that are investment properties. Owner-occupants can do no wrong.

**darthsinatra** · 07-20-2012, 04:28 PM

Originally Posted by sharkey

You can't file a judgment because the property owners don't owe you anything---they owe the City. You can go to the Dept. of Revenue and pay $800 (minimum bid) to get the property to Sheriff's Sale. It will take at least a year and if you are not the successful bidder you will get your $800 back. If you are the successful bidder it will now be your job to get the junkies out. Oh, and if the City has sold the lien to PAID you can't do a damn thing except tell the collection agency that you are interested if they ever decide to put it up for Sheriff's Sale.

You can file a judgment if you can show that your property has lost value due to the condition of an adjacent property.

**loveisnoise** · 07-20-2012, 05:44 PM

Originally Posted by gigster

They owe over 6300 for 2011 and 2012 combined. Taxes and penalties I just double checked. There is a lien for 2011 none for 2012.

Can someone tell me how an inherited home in the northeast has a yearly tax bill of $3,150?

**gigster** · 07-20-2012, 08:30 PM

Not quite sure what you are asking. They were left the home from their relatives. Annual taxes around 3,000 the rest are penalties. I am going to try and contact someone in the media and see if they can get some answers.

**loveisnoise** · 07-20-2012, 09:19 PM

Originally Posted by gigster

Not quite sure what you are asking. They were left the home from their relatives. Annual taxes around 3,000 the rest are penalties. I am going to try and contact someone in the media and see if they can get some answers.

If a property was the parents, and then inherited to the kids, how was it reassessed enough times that the tax base is 3k? That would mean that its worth would be around 300k and was recently assessed.