REAL ESTATE – FAQ
Q. I have a mortgage company pay my real estate taxes, why did I receive my real estate tax bill? A. Each mortgage lender requests the tax bill that they are interested in paying each year. This would indicate that we did not get a request from your bank in writing for your bill. Please contact your mortgage holder and get the exact address (& possibly person’s name) that this should be sent to and forward the bill to them for payment.
Q. I have paid my mortgage off. How do I get a tax bill? A. You need to inform the tax office in writing that you are no longer escrowing your taxes and are now personally responsible for paying the taxes. You can use the Tax Bill Request form.
Q. What period of time does my real estate tax bill cover? A. Real estate tax bills are based on the value as of October 1st each year. They become due July 1st of the following year. Bills over $100 are divided into 2 installments. The 1st installment of July 1st covers the period July 1 through December 31. The 2nd installment of January 1st covers the period January 1 through June 30.
Q. I'm selling my property, what do I owe? A. When a property is sold/closed in November, the seller owes from July 1 to closing date and the buyer owes from the closing date through December plus the full amount due January 1. We do not get involved in adjusting taxes; this is all done through the closing attorneys.
Q. What if I am delinquent on my real estate taxes? A. On may 1st of each year, real estate liens are filed in the town clerk’s office against all properties on which there is any delinquent real estate tax. A notice of intent to lien is sent to the delinquent taxpayer at least 15 days prior to the filing of these liens. There is a $24.00 lien fee charged regardless of the delinquent amount due. All interest, taxes & fees must be paid before the lien can be released.
Q. What is the assessment of my property? A. This is an Assessor's Office question.
Q. How can tax payments be made? A. Tax payments can be made one of three ways:
1) Mail your payment along with the correct payment stub to: Tax Collector, P.O. BOX 467, Southbury, CT 06488. 2) In person, along with the correct payment stub, by coming to the Tax Collector's office during regular office hours. 3) By credit card (for a fee) through Official Payment Corp. Payments can be made online or by phone:
Pay online at Southbury's Online Tax System or
By phone at the toll free number 1-877-309-4941.
Q. What information do I need to know to pay by credit card? A. Credit Card Details:
When paying online, all required tax information is available for you to access.
When paying via phone, you will be required to enter information using your telephone keypad. You will need to obtain this information from your tax bill(s):
List #/bill # - is located in the upper left hand corner under the Tax Collector's address & directly above the mill rate box on the original bill. The list/bill # is 13 places. Unique Id # - is an eight (8) digit number located directly below the mill rate on the original bill. This number is only required when paying real estate or personal property tax bills.