Owners of
homes and other real property who have not paid property taxes for tax year
2010 (originally payable in 2011) should pay immediately to avoid having their
taxes offered for auction at the Annual Tax Sale which begins August 3, Cook
County Treasurer Maria Pappas said today.
Pappas
said owners with unpaid bills for tax year 2010 should go to her office’s
website, cookcountytreasurer.com, and pay electronically by 11:59 p.m. on
Friday, July 27. Payment also can be
made at Chase banks with a certified check, cashier’s check or money order by
August 1.
The Tax
Sale is a four-day auction at which tax buyers bid on unpaid taxes, this year
for 2010 bills (mailed in 2011). If the
owner does not redeem, the tax buyer can ask a court for title to the
property. Owners redeeming taxes from
buyers face penalties and interest costs.
Currently,
the taxes for some 59,000 properties are delinquent. To alert owners, earlier last month the
Treasurer’s Office published delinquency lists in newspapers and sent notices
by certified mail to the owners.
Pappas
noted that owners should make sure they pay any delinquent tax bill first,
before paying the newly issued Second Installment bill. “Unsure owners should go to
cookcountytreasurer.com and check their payment status,” Pappas said.
If they
find a delinquency, they can stay on the website and pay electronically, Pappas
said.