An official website of the Cuyahoga County government. Here’s how you know
Tax Lien Certificate Sales
For information regarding a tax certificate sold November 2019 - Present, please contact:
Finch Investment Group, LLC (FIG) at: 844-PAY-LIEN (1-844-729-5436) or email: payoff@figtaxes.com
Taxpayers may access updated balance information and pay in full via the website: www.figtaxes.com
To pay your balance via mail, send a check or money order to:
FIG OH LLC
P.O. Box 669507
Dallas, Texas 75266
Please contact FIG to inquire about the availability of payment plans.
payoff@figtaxes.com
Avoid future sales by staying current on your taxes.
Please make checks for current taxes payable to the Cuyahoga County Treasurer and mail to:
2079 East Ninth Street
Cleveland Ohio, 44115
The Cuyahoga County Treasurer's Office will provide payoff information, and can also accept payment in full on a sold tax certificate.
Sale Overview
Ohio Revised Code 5721.30 to 5721.43 permits county treasurers to sell tax lien certificates on parcels that have delinquent taxes.
In Cuyahoga County, taxes that remain unpaid following the Second Half (July) tax collection are certified as delinquent, advertised by the Fiscal Office, and are then eligible for a tax lien certificate sale. Tax lien certificates are offered in bulk via a negotiated sale, and are not offered for sale on an individual basis.
All payments on delinquent properties set to have liens sold in the tax lien certificate sale, or that have had the certificate sold, must be made with certified funds (e.g., cash, money order, or certified/cashier's check).
Information For Taxpayers
The Cuyahoga County Treasurer's Office is not selling the underlying property - only the right to collect delinquent taxes. The tax lien certificate purchaser pays the County the entire amount of the delinquency. The tax lien certificate purchaser then holds a "lien," and the taxpayer is responsible for paying the lien amount and applicable interest to the purchaser. The taxpayer also remains responsible for the payment of current taxes to the County Treasurer.
What happens when a tax lien is sold?
The tax lien certificate purchaser records the lien with the County Fiscal Office's Transfer and Recording Department.
If the lien is not redeemed (paid back by the taxpayer) within twelve months, the tax lien certificate purchaser may file a foreclosure action.
Under ORC Section 5721.38, the property owner has the right to enter into a "Redemption Payment Plan" beginning on the date the tax certificate is sold and ending on the date a decree is rendered through foreclosure proceedings (ORC Section 5721.37 (F)).
The property owner may redeem the tax lien certificate anytime prior to confirmation of the foreclosure sale by providing payment via cash, money order or cashier's check. This payment includes the lien amount, plus any applicable additional charges and costs.
To avoid the sale of a tax lien certificate on your property, you must either pay your taxes in full or enter into a delinquent tax payment plan with the Cuyahoga County Treasurer's Office. For information regarding your delinquent taxes and the availability of payment plans, please call our Taxpayer Services Division at 216-443-7400 Option 1.
Information for Prospective Purchasers
Please familiarize yourself with the Ohio Revised Code as it pertains to the sale of tax lien certificates (ORC 5721.30 – 5721.43). Tax lien certificates are offered in bulk via negotiated sale. They are not offered on an individual basis. Tax lien certificates are limited in duration by contract to three years.
The average sale in Cuyahoga County ranges from 10 million to 17 million dollars and contains several thousand parcels.
The Cuyahoga County Treasurer's Office has full discretion to select and remove certified delinquent parcels from the tax lien certificate sale. The Treasurer may bundle parcels in any manner deemed necessary for the attainment of operational or public policy goals.
Cuyahoga County cannot guarantee that all parcels are free of legal encumbrance. Purchasers should conduct appropriate due diligence, and must resolve all other legal restrictions before proceeding with statutory foreclosure filing.
The Cuyahoga County Treasurer's Office may adopt rules governing the eligibility of persons to purchase tax lien certificates, i.e. disclosure of income. No person or entity that is delinquent in the payment of any tax to the County, or affiliated with any person that is delinquent in the payment of any tax to the County, may purchase tax lien certificates at sale.