As controversial tax sales begin, could reforms protect struggling Maryland homeowners?

Each year, Maryland municipalities seek to recoup unpaid taxes from property owners through a tax sale. If overdue property taxes are not paid, liens are issued by the city and sold to investors, who can make a lot of money collecting the debt, fees, and interest from the property owner. Eventually, property owners risk losing their homes to foreclosure if they cannot pay the debts. Housing advocates are critical of the tax sale, calling it a predatory system that harms Maryland homeowners and renters and disproportionately impacts majority-Black neighborhoods. Allison Harris is Director of the Home Preservation Project for the Maryland Pro Bono Resource Center. The center provides free legal help for those facing tax sale, including several in-person tax sale clinics over the next month. More information on the PBRC's services, including in-person tax sale clinics and phone consultation, on their website. (Bohemian Baltimore, via Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY-SA 4.0)Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his [email protected] 410-235-1472