Have you ever miscalculated a bill? Typically, a late fee or a strongly worded warning follows. But do you know what happens if you miscalculate and underpay your property taxes
— even by just a few dollars?
In at 12 states plus DC, the government will seize your property, sell it, and leave you with nothing.
Property taxes must be paid, and it’s legal for governments to take property to pay an outstanding debt. But the government shouldn’t keep any more money beyond what’s owed. The rest is your property: home equity that you’ve worked hard to build.
Is Home Equity Theft happening to you? Submit a case.
In courts and legislatures, Pacific Legal Foundation fights to protect your nest egg and prevent governments from stealing homeowners’ equity.
In January 2023, the Supreme Court announced it would review the case of Geraldine Tyler, an elderly widow who is suing Hennepin County, Minnesota for the unconstitutional theft of her home equity. When Geraldine fell behind on the property taxes for her one-bedroom condo, the government seized the home, sold it, and kept every penny—even though it was more than double what Geraldine owed. “When the government takes more than it is owed in taxes, that’s home equity theft,” Pacific Legal Foundation senior attorney Christina Martin, who represents Geraldine, said. “We are thrilled the Supreme Court will hear this case, which we hope will end unconstitutional home equity theft across the country.” Read more about Tyler v. Hennepin County.
In October, the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals delivered an important victory for property owners. The ruling also set the stage for a property rights battle that will soon be settled by the U.S….
The justices will hear a challenge to the way government and private companies reap profits when properties are seized for a failure to pay taxes.
If you owe someone $14, should they be entitled to take a $100 bill out of your wallet and keep the change? Obviously not. Yet in a dozen states and the nation’s capital, the government collects delin…
The first time Mark Mucciaccio of South Easton, Mass., remembers hearing of Tallage Lincoln LLC was when he learned the real estate investment company had taken his longtime family home out from under…
When Deborah Foss, a 66-year-old grandmother in New Bedford, Mass., bought her home in 2015, she expected it would be where she would live the rest of her life in comfort and security. But by February…
John Stossel’s newest video highlights our client Tawanda Hall and unmasks the predatory “tax and take” scheme known as home equity theft.
Greed: an intense and selfish desire for something, especially wealth, power The house on Diamond Lake was estimated to be worth between $3 million and $4 million. It was nestled on the shore with other multimillion-dollar houses in the postcard-perfect Michigan setting. “Diamond is a very appropriate name for this beautiful lake,” one visi …
Michigan nursing assistant Tawanda Hall has cause to celebrate after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit ruled last week that Michigan violated the Constitution when it took her home to satisfy an unpaid property tax debt. After experiencing financial hardships, Tawanda fell behind on her property taxes. When she went to set …
Every great hero comes to a point in their journey where they find themselves down for the count—wounded, downtrodden, and doubting their ability to defeat their formidable foe. When Pacific Legal Foundation’s communications team first met our hero, 67-year-old Deborah Foss, she was homeless in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Deborah was in …
Robin Hood stole from the rich and gave to the poor. That’s the opposite of what’s happening in Massachusetts, where home equity theft allows the state to steal homes from struggling, low-income families and give them to private investment firms. It should be said: Companies that profit from home equity theft—the unconscionable government prac …
Wisconsin has become the latest state to end the unconstitutional practice of equity theft. Equity theft is a scheme that allows governments to settle an unpaid tax debt by taking a person’s private property—and all the equity it has accumulated. Governments often sell that property to private investors, who make windfall profits at the owner’s …
Help us end the practice of home equity theft for good. Your support helps us bring additional legal challenges and legislative solutions to protect the home equity of hardworking Americans.
