BALTIMORE — After homeowners questioned surprise property tax bills dating back more than a decade, Baltimore’s Finance Department disclosed that it mailed 50,123 outstanding bill notices in October, representing $504.6 million in balances.
The total includes property taxes, water bills, citations and other charges. But questions remain about why some residents are first learning about older balances and how they can verify what they owe.
Ellen Townsend and Tywanna Gardner contacted WMAR-2 News' Mallory Sofastaii after receiving notices that included property tax balances dating back to 2013. Both maintain they paid their property taxes in full.
READ MORE: Baltimore homeowners receive surprise tax bills dating back 13 years
“I pay my bill in full. So I don't know where this is coming from,” Townsend said.
Townsend’s notice listed $40.35 from the 2013–14 tax year and 53 cents from 2015–16. Gardner received a notice seeking $1,299.36.
The Bureau of Revenue Collections sends letters each October to notify customers about outstanding bills associated with a property that could lead to tax sale, according to the Finance Department.
“The goal of sending these letters is to facilitate a resolution of outstanding bills and to identify instances where balances may be incorrect,” the department wrote.
Previously, the letters included past-year real property tax balances and current and past-year special benefit bills. System updates now allow the bureau to include balances from multiple years across more types of bills.
This year’s notices include real property taxes, water, part-year bills, special benefits, alley/footway charges, environmental citations and miscellaneous bills. The department’s breakdown also lists parking citations.
| Bill Type | Amount Due (in $M) |
| Alley Footway | $1.6 |
| Environmental Citation | $55.0 |
| Municipal Water | $164.2 |
| Parking Citations | $2.8 |
| Miscellaneous Bills | $104.7 |
| Special Benefit | $4.6 |
| Real Property | $171.7 |
The city previously explained that the balances carried forward from earlier billing periods and do not represent new charges. The amounts may include prior-year balances, late fees, penalties or other charges.
While water bills remain liens against properties, unpaid water bills alone do not make a property eligible for tax sale, the department emphasized.
Steven Kappen, tangled title project manager with Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service, had a client contact him to find out whether one of the letters was a scam.
“The letter was unexpected for them,” Kappen said.
His organization cross-referenced the notice with information the client already had and verified the charges on that particular letter. That does not establish whether other residents’ balances are accurate.
Kappen recommends checking the charges against receipts and payment histories.
“For instance, if they're telling you that an older property tax bill is still due from 3 or 4 years ago or some balance is due on it, you should check your receipts, you should check your payment history and see if that is accurate,” he said.
Some descriptions may require more explanation.
“The letter that I saw, there was a charge that was just listed as miscellaneous, so that isn't very helpful for you to find out what that charge is related to,” Kappen said.
A notice also may list a balance someone is already working to resolve, rather than an additional bill, he explained.
“It is possible to verify even if you have lost some of the receipts,” he said.
WMAR-2 News asked Finance how residents can request an itemized account history showing how the charges were calculated and where payments were applied.
We also asked why some homeowners are first learning about property tax balances from more than a decade ago if previous October letters already included past-year property taxes. Those questions remain unanswered.
Some homeowners’ notices listed an October 31 payment date. Kappen explained that the date is separate from the tax-sale timeline, which extends into the spring.
“The general tax sale timeline does not operate on an October 31st deadline,” he said.
That does not mean residents should ignore the notices. WMAR-2 News has asked Finance to clarify what the October 31 date means for unpaid or disputed balances, including whether additional charges or collection activity continue during a review.
Kappen sees a benefit in giving homeowners a chance to address outstanding charges before they try to sell or transfer a property. But he also recognizes concerns about tax sale.
“It's definitely a tax sale concern for people,” he said.
His advice is to begin resolving the questions now.
“Let's get to the bottom of it now, whether or not that's paying or contesting or following up with the city,” Kappen said.
Once residents resolve the charges on their notices, Kappen recommends regularly checking their property tax and water accounts, along with environmental citations associated with their properties.
A city lien certificate can provide a broader accounting of charges, but it costs money. He does not recommend routinely purchasing one simply to monitor an account when residents can check those individual records for free.
Residents who believe their notices contain errors or want an explanation of the charges should contact the Bureau of Revenue Collections at 410-396-3000.
The Finance Department previously told WMAR-2 News it would review disputed bills and abate incorrect charges on a case-by-case basis.