How to Find Out Who Paid Property Tax on an Abandoned House

You will need to take certain steps to find out who has paid property taxes on an abandoned building.

Investors or private individuals will sometimes purchase abandoned homes in an effort to make a profit. Before you purchase an abandoned home, it helps to know all the facts and details pertaining to the property. One item of interest is the property taxes. It's a good idea to find out if the property taxes were paid and by whom. The individual or corporation paying the taxes may be able to provide more detail. Finding out who paid property taxes on an abandoned house requires you to take certain steps.

Instructions

1. Determine whether a home has been abandoned. You can ask some of the residents in the neighborhood if anyone is living in the home. Some abandoned homes have the windows and doors boarded up and the yard may need servicing. An abandoned home will probably need a lot of maintenance.

2. Find out which county the home is in. You will need the address or the parcel number for the property. Each county keeps its own records concerning the payment of taxes and other issues concerning real property.

3. Call the taxpayer services department, which is usually located within the county treasurer's office. Ask a representative to look up all tax information. The information you receive can vary from county to county. In some counties the methods for payment may include a check, an electronic withdrawal, a credit card or cash. If the taxes are paid by check, they will likely be able to research the check on microfilm to determine who issued the check. If payment is made with the other forms of payment, they may not reveal who paid the taxes, although some counties may be able to tell who paid the taxes if they were paid electronically, usually by a mortgage company. In some other counties, if the taxes were paid by check, it will default to the category "paid by owner," even if the owner did not pay the taxes.

4. Go online. You can contact the tax assessor's office or taxpayer service and get their website. The website will likely provide you with some information about the taxes as well. You will need the address or the parcel number. Some sites will only give you information about tax payments made by lenders if they paid electronically. The scope of information that is available will vary county to county.

Tips & Warnings

• Some counties require you to call the county tax billing department for information.

• You can look up parcel numbers on some of the county websites if you have the property address and vice versa. One or the other should suffice to help your search.

References

• Creative Real Estate Online.com; Abandoned Properties: Empty Houses = Full Pockets; Patrick Zanders

Resources

• Democratic Leadership Council: Ridding Neighborhoods of Abandoned Homes
• University of Minnesota: Revitalizing Abandoned Housing