The Wayne County Treasurer’s Office has extended the deadline for taxpayers to get on payment plans and avoid losing their property to foreclosure to March 31. Previously, the deadline was Monday.
“It is particularly important that individuals who owe back property taxes for the year 2019 or prior either pay the tax bill in full or work with our office to make payment arrangements,” Wayne County Treasurer Eric Sabree said in a news release this week.
Tax foreclosure is the process by which a homeowner loses their property because they didn’t pay their property taxes and counties have the authority to foreclose under the state’s General Property Tax Act.
This year marks a change from the past couple years in Wayne County. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic led to a moratorium on foreclosures. And last year, Sabree filed a request in Wayne County Circuit Court to not foreclose on any occupied homes and occupied commercial properties because of continuing pandemic-related economic hardships. That redemption period runs through March 31. Foreclosures on unoccupied properties and vacant land continued.
As of late February, roughly 11,500 occupied residential properties — including owner occupied and non-owner-occupied properties such as rentals — were subject to foreclosure, according to the Treasurer’s office. The majority were in Detroit.
Ways to get help
For more information about payment plans, go to bit.ly/WayneCountyPaymentPlans or email taxinfo@waynecounty.com.
The Treasurer’s office is open for appointments Monday to Friday and includes Saturdays in March. Go to https://bit.ly/WayneCountyTreasurerHours to set up an appointment.
The state recently launched a program called the Michigan Homeowner Assistance Fund that can help income eligible owner-occupied homeowners avoid foreclosure. To apply go to Michigan.gov/MIHAF. Call 844-756-4423 for additional help.
The Free Press has partnered with Outlier Media — which runs an SMS texting service — to give residents in Detroit the ability to look up their address and check if it is at risk of foreclosure. You can search an address below or text HOUSING to 67485. Data is current as of Feb 14.
The Treasurer’s office has an updated list of properties at risk of foreclosure. Download it at https://www.waynecounty.com/elected/treasurer/. Taxpayers can also search for delinquent property tax information at https://pta.waynecounty.com/.