re: Tell me if this is true. Was told that if someone doesn't pay their property taxes

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Tell me if this is true. Was told that if . . .

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As with every legal question like this, the most important information that you can disclose is what state/jurisdiction you are in. It's going to vary from state to state and possibly between homes that reside in multiple taxing jurisdictions (if cities and parishes/counties/burroughs both collect property taxes on a home). Without that information no one can answer your question.

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In reality, what happens is that the parish/county auctions off houses with delinquent property taxes to the general public. Depending on location, the public may be buying a deed outright or they may be buying a tax lien.

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That's not what the Livingston Parish sheriff's office said

About 5 years ago, the wife's father left her a condo he owned (no mortgage). We did all the paperwork before he passed and paid all the closing costs. About 9 months later we get a notice from the county saying so-so-LLC had petitioned to pay our overdue property taxes. We thought they had been paid during the closing, so that's our fault. Anyway, we paid them that day.

Its no doubt this entity was out to snag our condo. But at least there was a notice sent by the county. Ironically enough the overdue tax bills were being sent to her fathers old address to where he lived before he bought the condo.

I don’t know about now, but years ago they would have tax sales. If you didn’t pay arrears, interest and penalties within three years you lost ownership. However, you had two more years in which to attack the sale. And that was almost always granted, so effectively you had five years. My information is decades old, though.

And that was in Louisiana. It varies from State to state. Mississippi was three years total.

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Worst case, they pay the back taxes and you get your money back.

Not a huge risk if you ask me.

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In MS, you get 18% interest on the back taxes when the owner redeems it.

After three years you can initiate a legal process to claim the property.

In other words. There’s no such thing as private property. The govt owns it all. They just let us rent.

In MS, the taxes are billed in arrears for the current year and usually come out around Dec. 1st. They are then due on Jan. 1 of the following year. You have until end of January to pay with no penalty. Starting Feb. 1 and every month thereafter through Aug 1st, the penalty goes up by 1/2 percent. At the end of August they sell your taxes for the previous year at the tax sale. You can redeem them after they are sold and you pay penalty and interest and that tax buyer is paid off. You let them get sold 3 years in a row without redeeming them and then the first year buyer can get a tax deed from the Chancery Clerk and claim an ownership interest. The tax buyer still has to file a quiet title/tax confirmation lawsuit to clear the title up and make them the official new owner. If they don't do that, there remains a cloud on the title. There are tons of notices being sent out throughout the entire process.