Florida · Back Taxes & Tax Deed Sales

Owe back property taxes? You can still sell it yourself.

Unpaid Florida property taxes do not stay a bill. They become a tax certificate, and eventually a tax deed sale run by the county clerk — at which point the house is sold out from under you and whatever equity you had in it is no longer yours to sell. A cash sale can happen before that date, in any condition, with the back taxes settled out of the closing.

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Owe back taxes? Get a cash offer before the tax deed sale

Any Florida county, any condition, any amount owed. Tell us about the property and roughly where the taxes stand — we'll reach out the same day where we can.

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How a Florida tax bill turns into a lost house

The timeline catches people out because it is slow and then sudden. In broad terms, and it varies by county:

  • Property taxes go delinquent on April 1 of the year after they were due
  • The county sells a tax certificate on the debt, usually on or before June 1 — an investor pays your taxes and starts earning interest on them
  • After about two years, that certificate holder can apply for a tax deed
  • The clerk of court then schedules a tax deed auction, and the property is sold
  • Any money above the debt may be claimable afterwards as surplus funds — but the house itself is gone, and surplus is almost always less than the equity you could have sold for

None of this is a reason to panic and none of it is legal or tax advice — we are not attorneys or tax advisers. Your own dates are the ones that matter, and they live with your county tax collector and clerk of court. If a tax deed application has already been filed against your property, talk to an attorney as well as to us.

Why selling beats being sold out

A tax deed auction does not care what the house is worth. It cares what it owes. If you sell before the sale date, the back taxes, certificates, interest and fees are typically paid off out of the proceeds at closing, and what is left over is yours instead of being argued over in a surplus claim months later. You do not need to find the money to clear the taxes first — that is what the closing is for.

We buy in situations most buyers walk away from

  • Years of delinquent taxes, multiple certificates sold, interest stacked on top
  • A tax deed application already filed and a sale date on the calendar
  • Code enforcement liens, water or utility liens, an open permit nobody closed
  • An inherited or vacant property whose taxes quietly went unpaid — see selling an inherited house
  • Vacant land or a lot where the taxes now outrun what anyone will pay for it — see selling vacant land

What we do not ask you to do

  • No repairs, no roof, no permits, no contractor quotes
  • No cleaning out — leave anything you do not want
  • No paying the taxes off up front to make the sale possible
  • No agent commissions and no listing fees
  • No waiting on a buyer's mortgage approval or appraisal

Where we buy

We are based in Tampa and we buy across Florida — Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Polk, Manatee, Sarasota, Orange, Duval and beyond. If it is in Florida, tell us about it.

Good Questions

Frequently asked

Can I sell my house if I owe back property taxes in Florida?
Yes. Back taxes, certificates already sold, and interest are typically paid off out of the closing proceeds — you do not need to pay them off first to sell.
What happens at a Florida tax deed sale?
After roughly two years of delinquent taxes, the certificate holder can apply for a tax deed, the clerk of court schedules an auction, and the property is sold to satisfy the debt. Any money above what's owed may later be claimable as surplus funds, but the house itself is gone.
Do I have to pay off the back taxes before I can sell?
No. That's what the closing is for — back taxes, certificates, interest, and fees come out of the sale proceeds at closing, and you keep what's left.
Will you buy if a tax deed application has already been filed?
Yes, though the timeline gets tight once a sale date is on the calendar — reach out as soon as possible, and talk to an attorney about your specific deadline as well.