Department of Finance to postpone annual tax lien sale to late summer

April 1, 2020 Jaime DeJesus

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Due to the impact COVID-19 outbreak has had on the city, the Department of Finance (DOF) is going to postpone the annual tax lien sale until later this summer.

Mayor Bill de Blasio made the announcement on Tuesday, March 31.

BOROUGHWIDE — The lien sale is administered by the DOF. It sells overdue property taxes, water and sewer charges, and other property charges to a non-profit trust.

The agency sends out four warning notices to property owners starting three months prior to the sale, alerting them that the property is at risk of being on the lien sale list.

“The coronavirus outbreak has significantly disrupted life for all New Yorkers, and it has put serious financial pressures on thousands of people across the City,” said Department of Finance Commissioner Jacques Jiha. “Our job in government is to assist and provide relief during a crisis – not to cause further harm – which is why the Department of Finance will postpone the lien sale until later this summer and at that point, reassess the best way to proceed.”

Property owners who are facing hardships making their property tax payments can take advantage of several existing DOF programs. These include exemption programs to lower the amount of taxes owed, standard payment plans, or a new Property Tax and Interest Deferral (PT AID) program, for those who qualify.