Tax Delinquents: You Have Until March 12 or Your Land Could Be Sold

More than 230 properties in default due to unpaid taxes will be auctioned off if the taxes and delinquent charges are not paid in a month, San Diego County Treasurer-Tax Collector Dan McAllister said.

Owners of the delinquent properties have until 5 p.m. March 12 to bring their taxes current and delinquent charges up to date. Otherwise, the properties will be sold in an effort to collect more than $4.5 million in unpaid property taxes, penalties and fees, McAllister said.

The 2013 Property Tax Sale Auction is scheduled for the following day at the San Diego Convention Center.

“We currently have 114 improved properties and 119 unimproved parcels ready for auction,” McAllister said. “The number may change if owners step up and pay the defaulted taxes right before the deadline.”

Registration for the auction opened today; interested bidders are required to register by 5 p.m. March 11. Bidder packets are available for $65 at the Treasurer-Tax Collector's offices in Kearny Mesa, Downtown, Chula Vista, El Cajon and San Marcos.

McAllister said the lowest minimum bid has been set at $4,400 and the highest at $526,000. Minimum bids were set based on the total amount of back taxes, penalties and sales costs for unimproved properties and at about half the assessed value for improved properties.

Registration instructions and information on the availability of the properties headed to auction can be found online.

– City News Service