Tax Delinquent · Philadelphia, PA

Selling a Philadelphia House With Back Property Taxes

Philadelphia describes a sheriff's sale as a public auction. It happens when a homeowner cannot pay the mortgage or the property taxes, and the property is sold. A few missed bills, a water balance or an inherited house with nobody paying can add up quickly. Missed payments are easier to fix early, so gather the numbers before you decide anything.

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Modest Delaware home with unresolved property tax debt

Kaizen Home Buyers pays cash and buys as-is, with no repairs and no agent commission. An offer comes within 24 hours, and closing can take 14 to 30 days or follow your date. Back taxes are a payoff item, not something to hide. If the price covers the balance, it can be paid at closing, and if it does not, you will want another plan. A rental or an inherited house where nobody lives may not fit the city's payment plan, which is one reason to run the numbers on a sale.

What’s different in Philadelphia

Check the OOPA before you decide

The city's Owner-Occupied Payment Agreement lets homeowners make affordable monthly payments on past-due property taxes. You must live in the home you own, though someone with a legal interest but no name on the deed may also qualify. Payments run from 0 to 10 percent of monthly income based on household size and income tier. The page sorts owners into tiers by household size and income. Some tiers get new taxes folded in automatically, and the rest must pay new taxes in full by March 31, so read your own tier carefully.

Free help for tax foreclosure

The city's foreclosure prevention program offers housing counseling and legal aid for mortgage or tax foreclosure. Its hotline is (215) 334-4663. The page says a homeowner who lives in the at-risk property may participate, so a landlord or an heir who lives elsewhere should call and ask what applies. Talk to a counselor before you choose between keeping the house and selling it. A counselor can tell you whether the payment plan, a sale or another route fits your facts, and calling early leaves more choices open.

What a sale has to pay

Taxes are one line on the closing statement. Philadelphia's realty transfer tax is also 4.578 percent since July 1, 2025, with 1 percent going to the state. Qualifying municipal claims can attach to the property under Pennsylvania law, so ask the title company for payoff figures. Add them up before you compare any offer with an agent's estimate. As an illustration only, at a hypothetical $150,000 price the 4.578 percent rate comes to $6,867, so it is a real line on the statement.

Checklist before you sell

  • Real estate tax bills or account statements for each unpaid year
  • Any sheriff's sale or foreclosure paperwork
  • OOPA application or agreement, if you have one
  • Water and sewer statements
  • The deed and proof of who lives in the house
  • Mortgage statement, if there is a loan
  • Household income records if you apply to the OOPA

How Kaizen can help

Give us the address and the balance if you know it. We review the house as it stands and make a cash offer without repair work on your side. You can then set our number beside the tax payoff, any mortgage and the transfer tax to see what is left. Signing a contract does not pay your taxes. They are paid at closing, from proceeds, if the numbers work.

A signed contract does not stop a sheriff's sale. Only the city or the court can confirm a postponement, so keep answering every notice until you have it in writing. We can pick a closing date that works around a sale date when the title work allows. Tell us if a sale date is close, and we will say plainly whether a closing before it looks possible. Call or text Kaizen Home Buyers at 267-329-0084.

Tax Delinquent in Philadelphia: questions

Is there a payment plan for back Philadelphia taxes?

Yes, for owner-occupants. The OOPA ties payments to household size and income, from 0 to 10 percent of monthly income. Apply through the Department of Revenue.

Does the plan cover a rental or inherited house I do not live in?

The page says you must live in the home you own. A person with a legal interest but no deed may qualify. If that is not you, call the Department of Revenue before you assume you are covered.

Will a cash offer stop a sheriff's sale?

No. A contract is a proposed closing. Only the city or the court can confirm a sale was cancelled or postponed.

Can back taxes come out of the sale proceeds?

Often, if the price is large enough and the title company gets payoff figures. The settlement statement should show them with any mortgage and the transfer tax.

Keep reading

We buy houses in PhiladelphiaTax Delinquent: full guideHow to Sell an Inherited House in Philadelphia County (Probate Guide)Facing Foreclosure in Philadelphia County: Diversion Program and Sheriff Sale GuideSelling an Inherited House in PhiladelphiaSelling a Philadelphia House With L&I Code ViolationsFacing Foreclosure on a Philadelphia Home: Your OptionsSelling a Chester, PA House With Back Taxes

Sources

General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm details with the office or a professional.

  1. Kaizen process steps (Kaizen Home Buyers, 2026-10-23)
  2. Municipal Claim and Tax Lien Law, Section 3 (Pennsylvania General Assembly, 2026-07)
  3. Researching Your Pennsylvania House: Deeds (State Library of Pennsylvania, 2026-07)
  4. Owner-Occupied Real Estate Tax Payment Agreement (OOPA) (City of Philadelphia Department of Revenue, 2026-10)
  5. Save your home from mortgage and tax foreclosure (City of Philadelphia, 2026-10)
  6. Sheriff and lien sales (City of Philadelphia, 2026-10)
  7. Philly's realty transfer tax rate is now 4.578% (City of Philadelphia, 2025-07-28)

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