If you don’t pay your property taxes or enter into a suitable payment arrangement, the City can put a lien (legal claim) on your property and sell it to cover your unpaid, overdue taxes.
The City can register a Tax Arrears Certificate (TAC) against your property if your taxes are overdue by a minimum of two years by January 1 of the current tax year. When this is done, everyone with a financial interest in the property will receive a notification by registered mail.
Typically, the City will seek other collection activities for three years before registering a TAC.
Once a TAC is registered, you have one year to pay the cancellation price to have the lien removed. This includes all unpaid taxes, penalties, interest, charges, fees and future instalments on the account.
If you don’t pay the entire cancellation price within one year, the City can put your property up for sale. This is called a tax sale.
If you don’t pay the overdue amounts within the year the TAC is registered against your property or enter into an extension agreement, the City can put the property up for sale by public tender.
The City will:
Properties sold due to unpaid taxes are not processed like a typical real estate sale (for example, there is no showing, guarantee of conditions, zoning, etc.). Interested buyers should seek independent legal advice from a licensed lawyer practicing in Ontario who is in good standing with the Law Society of Ontario.
There are currently no properties for sale.