Tax Delinquent · Reading, PA

Selling a Tax-Delinquent House in Reading

Back taxes are on our Reading city record as a common issue, and they follow a set calendar in Berks County. The Tax Claim Bureau says its process runs 21 months from the time unpaid taxes are turned over until the property is exposed to an upset sale. That is time to act, and it is also a schedule that adds interest and fees along the way.

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Modest Delaware home with unresolved property tax debt

Kaizen Home Buyers makes cash offers on houses in any condition and buys them as-is. No repairs and no commission. You get a number within 24 hours, and closing can take 14 to 30 days or happen on your date. If the price covers the tax balance, a sale can pay it off. If it does not, you need another plan, so get the balance in writing first.

What’s different in Reading

How the Berks County cycle works

Each January, unpaid bills from the previous year are turned over to the Bureau, with a $15 bill fee per taxing authority. A notice follows in March, and in May the county's hybrid process starts, adding a $38 lien fee, interest of 0.75 percent a month, a 5 percent operating fee and a one-half percent solicitor fee. Notice of sale letters go out in July, and posting and advertising follow in August. The upset sale then happens in the fall, with a second mailed notice at least 10 days before it. The January turnover is the first marker. If your bills went unpaid last year, they are on the Bureau's list now, and the dates that follow are set by the schedule, not by how you feel about the house. Mark March, May, July and the fall sale on a calendar.

If the property does not sell, the clock continues

A property not sold at the upset sale moves to the judicial sale process, with a June judicial sale, and then to a repository list that stays open to bids from March 1 to October 31. Interest and fees keep accruing in between. The Bureau also says partial payments are welcome, and it offers payment agreements from May of the year the property will be exposed to upset sale, up to the day before the sale. Ask the Bureau for the current balance with every line item shown, including lien, notice and posting fees. A clear written figure tells you if a sale can clear the debt, and it is the number a title company will ask for at closing.

Notice rules and installment stays

Pennsylvania's Real Estate Tax Sale Law requires the Bureau to publish notice at least 30 days before an upset sale, mail it to each owner at least 30 days before and post the property at least 10 days before. The same section lets a bureau stay a sale if an owner or lien creditor enters an installment agreement on or before the sale. The Bureau decides whether that fits your file, so contact it before you decide anything else. Do not treat the notice rules as a loophole. If you believe a notice was missed, talk to an attorney quickly and keep every envelope. Dates matter in tax sale cases, and a lawyer can tell you whether the record supports a challenge.

Checklist before you sell

A written balance from the Berks County Tax Claim Bureau
Every tax bill and notice, with the year and parcel number
Any installment agreement or court order
The deed and the names of every owner
Mortgage statement, if there is a loan
City notices, such as vacant registration or code letters
Photos of rooms and the exterior you can safely show

How Kaizen can help

Send us the address and the balance if you know it. We price the house as it stands, so the repairs a brick rowhome may need are our concern. You then set our cash number next to the tax payoff, any mortgage and other claims to see what is left. Our Reading record also lists Schuylkill River flooding, so tell us about any water history.

A signed contract does not stop a tax sale. The Bureau or the court has to confirm that in writing, so keep answering every notice until you have it. We can pick a closing date around the next sale when the title work allows. Call or text 267-329-0084.

Tax Delinquent in Reading: questions

When is the upset sale?

The Bureau's schedule places the upset sale in the fall after a notice period that starts in July. Ask the Bureau for the exact date for your parcel.

Can I make payments instead of selling?

The Bureau says partial payments are encouraged and offers agreements starting in May of the year the property will be exposed to upset sale. State law also lets a bureau stay a sale for an installment agreement entered by the sale date.

What if I never got a notice?

State law requires publication, mail and posting before an upset sale. If you think notice was missed, talk to an attorney quickly.

Can the taxes be paid from the sale?

Often, if the price covers the balance and the title company gets a payoff figure. If it does not, you will need another source of funds.

Keep reading

We buy houses in Reading Tax Delinquent: full guide How to Sell an Inherited House in Berks County (Probate Guide)Facing Foreclosure in Berks County, PA: Online Sheriff Sale Guide Selling a Vacant House in Reading Selling a Tired Rental Property in Reading Selling a House Facing Foreclosure in Reading Selling a Philadelphia House With Back Property Taxes Selling a Chester, PA House With Back Taxes Selling a Camden House With Back Taxes Selling a Trenton House With Back Taxes

Sources

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

City service-area content (Kaizen Home Buyers, 2026-06-30)
Tax Claim Bureau Timeline and Fee Schedule (Berks County, PA, undated schedule)
Kaizen process steps (Kaizen Home Buyers, 2026-10-23)
Real Estate Tax Sale Law, Section 602 (Pennsylvania General Assembly, 2026-07)

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