I Can't Afford My Property Taxes
I Can't Afford the Town Taxes for
My Home. What Can I Do?
Who Decides If I Get the
Abatement?
How Do I Apply for an Abatement?
Who Can Get an
Abatement?
My Town or City Won't Give Me an
Abatement. I Can't Pay the Taxes. What Will Happen Next?
Foreclosure
Tax Sale
You Can Get Your Home Back After
a Tax Sale
I Can't Afford the Town Taxes for
My Home. What Can I Do?
You can ask your city or town to lower your taxes because you can't pay.
A city or town can decide that some or all of your property taxes will
be forgiven because you have too little income to pay. This is called
a property tax "abatement." Your city or town may also abate the
interest and collection fees if you are unable to pay. It's up to
the town to decide if it will abate your property taxes.
Who Decides If I Get the
Abatement?
The Board of Civil Authority or Board of Abatement. Every Vermont city
and town has one of these Boards. People from the town are members of
the Board. The Board decides if homeowners will get a property tax
abatement.
How Do I Apply for an Abatement?
Go to your town office or city hall. Your town doesn't have a town
office? Ask the Town Clerk or a Selectman. Tell him or her that you
want to request a tax abatement because you are can't pay your
property taxes. Explain why. Usually you will have to ask for the
abatement in writing. Usually you will also have to give information
about your financial situation that shows you can't pay. You may also
have to go to the Board meeting to make your request in person.
Who Can Get an Abatement?
It's up to your town or city to decide. Any homeowner may ask their
Board of Abatement to abate some or all of their property taxes because
they can't afford to pay. But it's up to the city or town where you
live to decide whether to give you a tax abatement.
My Town or City Won't Give Me an
Abatement. I Can't Pay the Taxes. What Will Happen Next?
Different things may happen. It depends on your particular situation.
We have listed some common things that can happen below.
Foreclosure
Do you have a mortgage on your home? The bank or mortgage company
which holds the mortgage might pay the taxes on your property to
protect their interest. Then the bank or mortgage company may threaten
to foreclose on your home to get the tax money they paid back from you.
Do you have a mortgage on your home?
Did the town deny your request for a tax abatement? You should
contact your bank or mortgage company as soon as possible. Try to
work out an arrangement to prevent foreclosure. You can learn more
about foreclosures on our Foreclosures page.
Tax Sale
Your city or town may take your home and sell it to pay back property
taxes that you owe. Your town or city must send you a written notice
before it can sell your home at a tax sale. The notice must be sent
by registered mail. The notice must be sent to you at least 10 days
before the sale happens. The notice must explain your right to
request a tax abatement to stop the sale. Your town or city can only
sell as much of your property as it needs to pay the back taxes you
owe.
Did your town or city send you a Notice of Tax Sale? Are you
low-income? Call
Vermont Legal Aid at (800) 889-2047. You may qualify for free
legal help.
You Can Get Your Home Back After
a Tax Sale
There's still a chance to get your home back after the town sells it
at a tax sale. You have 12 months from the time of the tax sale to
pay the town back. You have to pay the town the amount of money it
sold your home for at the tax sale. This time period is called the
redemption period. You can keep your home if you pay the town the
whole amount plus interest before the 12 months ends. Even if you
don't pay taxes during the 12 months, you can still live in your
home for that whole 12 months.
You should talk to a lawyer as soon as you can if you are
behind on your property taxes and threatened with a tax sale.
Vermont Law Help, 2008.
This is a website about Vermont law. We give this information
as a public service. It is not legal advice. We are not acting as your
lawyer.
Always consult a lawyer, if you can, before taking legal action.
