Homeowner Warning Notice under Real Property Tax Law § 1144

Under section 1144 of New York State Real Property Tax Law, when a tax district mails a personal notice of the commencement of a foreclosure to an individual, it must include or attach the homeowner warning notice below. Tax districts that do not enforce delinquent taxes must send the homeowner warning notice when the foreclosure proceeding begins. 

The homeowner notice must include information about where to find it translated into New York State's top 12 languages most commonly spoken by people with limited English proficiency (according to the most recently published American Community Survey), as seen at the end of the template notice below. 

Tax districts may copy the language below to include in their own notice, or fill in the template notice provided here to send to individuals. For convenience, the template is available in Word and PDF formats. 

Download PDF Template Download MS Word Template

To fill in the Word or PDF templates, tax districts may follow these steps:

• Click on the link for your preferred file format to download the corresponding template.
• Type in the issuing county and recipient information at the top of the file
• Type in the information for each of the five fillable fields in the body of the notice. 
• Save the file, that can then be printed and mailed.

The translations of this homeowner notice are only meant for reference of the notice recipient. 

Template for Homeowner Warning Notice

Sender: (county information)
Attention: (name of recipient)

Homeowner Warning Notice under Real Property Tax Law § 1144
YOU MAY BE AT RISK OF FORECLOSURE ON A PROPERTY TAX LIEN.
PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING NOTICE CAREFULLY.

As of (date: mm/dd/yyyy), your property taxes have not been paid for the following years and amounts each year: (years) and (amounts).

The total needed to pay off all tax arrears as of the date of this notice is: (amount due).

Under New York State law, we are required to send you this notice to inform you that you are at risk of losing your home.

Attached to this notice is a list of government approved housing counseling agencies in your area which provide free counseling. You can also call the NYS Office of the Attorney General’s Homeowner Protection Program (HOPP) toll-free consumer hotline to be connected to free housing counseling or legal services in your area at 1-855-HOME-456 (1-855-466-3456), or visit their website. A statewide listing by county is also available at the website of the New York State Department of Financial Services. Qualified free help is available; watch out for companies or people who charge a fee for these services.

Housing counselors from New York-based agencies listed on the website above are trained to help homeowners who are having problems making their tax payments and can help you find the best option for your situation. 

If you wish, you may also contact our office directly to discuss possible payment plans and other options.

While we cannot assure that a mutually agreeable resolution is possible, we encourage you to take immediate steps to try to achieve a resolution.

The longer you wait, the fewer options you may have.

If you have not taken any actions to resolve this matter within ninety days from the date this notice was mailed, we may commence legal action or other remedies against you to foreclose the tax lien, which may eventually result in eviction from your home.

Under New York State law, you may be barred from entering into a payment plan or from being permitted to make any payment to save your home after the “Redemption Date.” In your case, the “Redemption Date” is tentatively set as (date: mm/dd/yyyy).

IMPORTANT: You have the right to remain in your home until you receive a court order telling you to leave the property; however, you may lose the right to continue ownership of your home after the Redemption Date. If a foreclosure action is filed against you in court, you still have the right to remain in the home until a court orders you to leave.

This notice is not an eviction notice, and a foreclosure action has not yet been commenced against you.

You should also be aware that if you are a senior citizen, a person with a physical disability and/or a veteran, you may be entitled to a partial exemption from property taxes. If you are not already receiving one or more of these exemptions and would like information about the eligibility and application requirements, please contact your local assessor’s office.

Your tax district may not pursue foreclosure when the property is owned by a person receiving an exemption because they are a senior citizen, a person with a physical disability, or a veteran. If you are currently receiving one or more of these exemptions, please contact us immediately so that we may determine whether your foreclosure can be suspended.

YOU MAY BE AT RISK OF FORECLOSURE ON A PROPERTY TAX LIEN.

For reference only: