What happens if I'm behind on property taxes in Florida?
You do not lose the house right away, but a clock starts the first June you miss. Brevard County sells a tax certificate on your unpaid bill, and once that certificate is 2 years old the holder can apply for a tax deed and force the house to auction (Fla. Stat. 197.502). You can stop it by paying the full amount with interest any time before the sale, or by selling the house before then, even with the taxes unpaid.
Most people who lose a house to a tax deed in Florida did not lose it because they could not sell. They lost it because they waited past the auction date.
The Florida tax timeline, step by step
- Taxes are due November 1 and delinquent April 1 of the following year. Brevard adds 3 percent interest plus fees once delinquent.
- Tax certificate sale, on or before June 1. The Brevard County Tax Collector auctions a certificate on your unpaid bill to investors who bid down the interest rate (as low as 0.25 percent, with a 5 percent minimum guaranteed to the buyer). You now owe the certificate holder, not just the county.
- The 2 year wait. The certificate holder cannot do anything for 2 years from April 1 of the year the certificate was issued. Meanwhile new certificates are sold each June on each new year you miss.
- Tax deed application. After 2 years (and before 7, when the certificate expires), the holder pays off all other outstanding certificates and applies for a tax deed. The Clerk of Court orders a title search and mails notice to you and every lienholder.
- Tax deed sale. Roughly 3 to 5 months after the application, the Brevard Clerk auctions the property online. The opening bid is the total taxes, interest and costs. On homestead property the opening bid also includes half the assessed value, which is why homesteads sometimes do not sell at the first auction.
- Redemption deadline. You can redeem (pay everything) up until the moment the Clerk receives full payment from the winning bidder, which in Brevard is typically the day of the sale. After that, the house is gone.
So a bill you missed in November 2023 became delinquent April 2024, got a certificate in June 2024, became eligible for a tax deed application April 2026, and could be auctioned by the end of 2026. Three years from first missed payment to losing the house is a realistic worst case; it is not a rule that protects you for three years.
What you get back if it sells
Unlike a mortgage foreclosure, a tax deed sale can leave money on the table for you. If the house sells for more than the taxes, interest and costs, the surplus goes first to lienholders and then to the former owner (Fla. Stat. 197.582). You must claim it; the Clerk holds it 120 days and unclaimed funds eventually go to the state. But a tax deed auction almost always brings far less than a normal sale. The surplus is a consolation, not a plan.
Three ways out before the auction
Pay it. Redeem at the Tax Collector's office in Titusville, Viera, Melbourne or Palm Bay. You need the full amount including the certificate holder's interest and, after a tax deed application, the application costs. The Tax Collector will quote the exact payoff.
Payment plan. Florida does not allow installment plans on delinquent years, only on the current year (the quarterly plan must be elected before May 1). Once a year is delinquent it is all or nothing.
Sell it. Any time before the auction, the house can be sold and the taxes paid from the proceeds at closing. This is the path most people miss. A listing takes 60 to 120 days and needs the house in showable condition; a cash buyer can close in two to three weeks and pay the taxes directly from the purchase price, so you never have to come up with the money.
Behind on taxes and the owner is deceased
This is the combination that produces most Brevard tax deed sales. A parent dies, the house stays in their name, no one is responsible for the bill, and the certificate clock runs while the family argues or forgets. Notices go to the dead owner's address, which is the house, where nobody lives.
The fix is the same as any inherited house: the heirs' interests can be sold and the taxes redeemed from the proceeds, even before probate. We handle both at once. See Can I sell a house if the owner is deceased?.
What it looks like in Brevard County
A typical case: a 1978 block home in Titusville, owner passed in 2021, daughter in Jacksonville, taxes unpaid since 2022. A tax deed application came in the mail in May 2026 with a sale set for August. The payoff was about $14,000. She had no way to raise it and could not list the house because it was still in her father's name.
We signed a contract with her in June, opened a summary administration (her father had been gone more than 2 years, so the short form applied), redeemed the certificates directly with the Tax Collector the week before the sale, and closed. She was paid the balance after the tax payoff and never had to find a lawyer or a dollar herself.
Frequently asked questions
How long can you go without paying property taxes in Florida before you lose your house? A tax certificate is sold the first June after taxes go delinquent. The holder can apply for a tax deed 2 years after April 1 of the year the certificate was issued, and the auction follows a few months later. Three to four years from the first missed bill is a typical total, but once the deed application is filed you have only months.
Can I sell my house if I owe back taxes in Florida? Yes, right up until the tax deed sale. The delinquent taxes, interest and costs are paid at closing from the sale price. A cash buyer can also redeem the certificates directly as part of the purchase.
What is a tax certificate in Florida? A lien on your property sold by the county to an investor who pays your taxes in exchange for interest. It is not a deed and does not give the investor your house, but after 2 years it lets them force a tax deed sale.
Does a tax deed sale wipe out my mortgage? Generally yes for most liens, but not for government liens and some easements, and lenders usually redeem before the sale to protect themselves. If a mortgage survives, the new owner takes the property subject to it.
Is there a tax deed surplus if my house sells at auction? Often. Anything above the taxes, interest and costs goes to lienholders and then to you. You must file a claim with the Clerk, and the amount is far below what a normal sale would bring.
How MGO handles back taxes
We buy houses in Brevard County and Palm Beach County with delinquent taxes, tax certificates and pending tax deed applications. We pay the Tax Collector directly out of the purchase, close in weeks, and handle probate or title problems at the same time. If the sale date is close, call today; we have redeemed certificates the week of the auction.
Call or text (561) 295-9202 or send the address through the form.