Another Georgia Excess Tax Sale Funds Case

Republic Title Co. v. Freeport Title & Guar., Inc., A19A0274 (May. 29, 2019) concerns entitlement to excess funds remaining following a tax sale pursuant to OCGA § 48-3-3. We’ve discussed this in previous blogs. There isn’t much new here but the case does reinforce some tax deed principles of interest. In this case, the property owner at the time of the tax sale sought to collect excess tax sale proceeds following the tax sale. Also following the tax sale, a security deed holder on the property similarly sought the excess tax funds.

The owner filed a lawsuit seeking the excess tax funds, and, in the same lawsuit, sought to quiet the security deed holder’s lien as a cloud on title. The argument was the loan had matured for more than seven years and therefore wasn’t enforceable at the time of the tax sale. In Georgia, under O.C.G.A. § 44-14-80, title to real property conveyed to secure a debt or debts revert to the grantor the expiration of seven years from the maturity of the debt or debts or the maturity of the last installment thereof as stated or fixed in the record of the conveyance (this is the general rule).

Following the recommendation issued by a special master appointed in the case, the trial court ruled in favor of the owner; awarding the owner the excess tax funds and quieting title against the security deed holder. The Georgia Court of Appeals agreed. The Georgia Court of Appeals rejected the security deed holder’s argument that the special master didn’t have authority to issue a ruling on excess funds. And the security deed holder’s argument that the property owner lacked standing to bring a quiet title was likewise disregarded. Although the quiet title was filed by the owner after the tax sale, it was filed within the time period in which the owner had a right to redeem the property. Thus, the owner’s right to redeem was enough to give the owner standing to quiet title against the security deed holder.

If you have any questions regarding tax deeds, please call us at 404-382-9994.

Does a Foreclosure Sale Determine Fair Market Value in Georgia?

The answer is a resounding yes according to an interesting case that came out recently. SeeDekalb County Board Of Tax Assessors v. Astor Atl, LLC, A19A0516 (April 1, 2019). In that case, the Georgia Court of Appeals rejected DeKalb County’s argument that it could assess property taxes in an amount higher than the price paid for the same property at a foreclosure sale.

Dekalb County argued that a foreclosure sale does not qualify under as an arm’s length, bona fide sale, and that it had appraised the property in conformity with its rules using the sales comparison approach.

In deciding the case, the Georgia Court of Appeals referenced O.C.G.A. § 48-5-2(3), which provides a limitation on the maximum allowable fair market value. Under that statute, “the transaction amount of the most recent arm’s length, bona fide sale in any year shall be the maximum allowable fair market value for the next taxable year.”

The decision concluded by holding that foreclosure sales can be arm’s length, bona fide sales. Moreover, the fact that the sale may not bring in the true market value of the property does not require a different rule; the fact that the sale results in a financial loss is not relevant.

The court noted that foreclosure sales are distinct from tax sales. While foreclosures are considered arm’s length, bona fide sales, tax sales are considered “forced sales” because owner retains a right of redemption, so the tax deed purchaser does not obtain proper title until the redemption period has run.

While this isn’t super helpful in the current market with surging property values, it would definitely help investors should the real estate market turn south down the road. Something to keep in mind.

Please call us at 404-382-9994 for real estate related questions.

Can a tax commissioner apply excess funds to post-tax sale property taxes?

Iglesia Del Dios Vivo Columna Y Apoyo De La Verdad La Luz Del Mundo, Inc. v. Downing, 321 Ga. App. 778 (2013) addressed this issue, and the answer, quite simply, is NO. (Bonus points for being able to say the plaintiff’s name in that case three times fast.)

The guiding statute is O.C.G.A. § 48-4-5, which provides that any excess funds existing “after paying taxes, costs, and all expenses of a sale made by the tax commissioner” shall be distributed “to the owner or owners as their interests appear in the order of priority in which their interests exist.”

So, while a tax commissioner is authorized to apply excess funds to satisfy outstanding property taxes owed by the delinquent taxpayer that accrued before the tax sale, it can’t do so after the tax sale. This reasoning for this is that the tax deed purchaser, not the delinquent taxpayer, is liable for post-tax sale property taxes.

What about a situation in which post-tax sale property taxes accrue before the tax deed purchaser has barred the right of redemption? In this situation, the delinquent taxpayer still has possession and the tax deed purchaser doesn’t have full title. Is the delinquent taxpayer jointly liable with the tax deed purchaser? According to the Downing case, the answer is no.  Only the tax deed purchaser is liable for post-tax sale property taxes; this is regardless of whether the right to redeem has been barred.

Who Gets Excess Tax Sale Funds in Georgia?

Revisiting a previous post, under Georgia law, a tax commissioner holds excess funds generated by a tax sale in a fiduciary capacity, and the disbursement of those funds is governed by OCGA § 48-4-5. But, after a tax sale, if there are excess funds after paying taxes, costs, and all expenses of a sale, who gets these funds? The answer, generally, is distribution of excess tax funds is based on the right to the funds at the time of the tax sale.

When there are excess tax funds, the officer selling the property shall give written notice of the excess funds to the record owner of the property at the time of the tax sale and to the record owner of each security deed affecting the property and to all other parties having any recorded equity interest or claim in such property at the time of the tax sale. Such notice shall be sent by first-class mail within 30 days after the tax sale, and shall contain a description of the land sold, the date sold, the name and address of the tax sale purchaser, the total sale price, and the amount of excess funds collected and held by the tax commissioner, tax collector, sheriff, or other officer. The notice shall state that the excess funds are available for distribution to the owner or owners as their interests appear in the order of priority in which their interests exist.

If there is a dispute regarding who is entitled to the excess tax funds, an interpleader is filed and the excess funds are distributed by the superior court to the intended parties, including the owner, as their interests appear and in the order of priority in which their interests exist.

Some issues that come up in regard to distribution of excess tax funds is whether a “super-lien” obtained via a redemption gives the redeeming party a right to claim the excess funds. The answer is no because a super-lien places a lien on the real property but not on the excess tax sale funds.

Another issue is when additional taxes come due after the tax sale—is the tax commissioner allowed to use the excess funds for taxes due after the tax sale? The answer is no because the tax deed purchaser is the party responsible for paying property taxes after the tax sale. The remedy for the tax purchaser is to add taxes paid to the redemption price.

And, finally, what happens if the owner of the property sells the property after the tax sale? Is the new owner entitled to the excess tax sale funds? The answer is no. Georgia law considers excess tax sale funds to be personal property; thus, these funds do not attach to the real estate. One exception is if the sales agreement contains language assigning the excess tax sale funds, then the person who sold the property loses their right to the excess funds.  Georgia Lien Services, Inc. v. Barrett, 272 Ga. App. 656 (2005).

Service by Publication in a Quiet Title or Tax Deed Barment

In both a tax deed barment and the subsequent quiet title, a critical part of the procedure is serving all parties with an interest in the subject property. This includes lien holders, heirs, and anyone else with a claim against the property.

Often in these situations, especially when the property is distressed or abandoned, parties connected with the property may be hard to find. The best example is the delinquent taxpayer. That party has not paid taxes for one or more years, and, many times, has abandoned possession. If the delinquent taxpayer is gone and hasn’t left a forwarding address, that party may be anywhere.

What must be done in these situations? A reasonable and diligent search must be conducted to find and serve each party that has an interest. In a barment, this requires personal service for parties residing in the county of the tax sale or certified mail for parties residing outside the county. In a quiet title, personal service is required.

What if personal service or certified mail is unsuccessful? For example, you get back the certified letter stating it is undeliverable. In those situations, you’re entitled to serve by publication. This usually means advertising notice of the barment or lawsuit in the official county newspaper for four consecutive weeks.

Sound simple . . . usually it is  straightforward, but there are times when things don’t work out as expected. In a recent case, Dukes v. Munoz et al., A18A0572 (decided June 15, 2018), a tax deed holder, unable to serve the delinquent taxpayer, hired an investigator. The investigator came back saying the delinquent taxpayer could not be found after reasonable search. Relying on the investigator’s testimony, the tax deed holder barred the taxpayer’s right of redemption and filed a successful quiet title action.

Happy tax deed holder and end of story . . . not so much. Turns out that the delinquent taxpayer was a Georgia state legislator, who found out about the barment and quiet title. The Georgia Court of Appeals ruled that because a Google search would have provided the address for the delinquent taxpayer, the tax deed holder had not exercised proper diligence in locating the delinquent taxpayer. Therefore, service by publication was improper and the barment and quiet title were voided; the tax deed holder was forced to incur the expense of the barment and quiet title.

The takeaway is that it’s not sufficient to use the last known address of party if that address appears invalid. The best approach, in our opinion, is to spend a little extra money to make sure parties with an interest are served and given a proper opportunity to object.

Excess Tax Sale Funds in Georgia

Following up on a previous blog regarding whether redeeming parties get priority to claim excess tax sale funds (they don’t), this blog discusses the process of disbursing excess funds following a tax sale.

Under Georgia law, a tax commissioner holds excess funds generated by a tax sale in a fiduciary capacity. Alexander Investment Group v. Jarvis, 263 Ga. 489, 491-492 (1993). Georgia statutory law, in O.C.G.A. § 48-4-5, describes the process of disbursing excess tax sale funds.

If there are any excess funds after paying taxes, costs, and all expenses, within 30 days of the tax sale, written notice is sent by first-class U.S. Mail to the following parties: (1) the owner of the property (delinquent taxpayer), (2) security deed holder, and (3) parties with a properly recorded interest in the property.

The notice of excess tax funds shall describe the land sold, the date sold, the name and address of the tax sale purchaser, the total sale price, and the amount of excess funds. The notice shall also state that the excess funds are available for distribution to the owner or interest holders in the order of priority in which their interests exist on the public record.

If excess funds are unclaimed or a dispute arises regarding who’s entitled to the excess funds, the tax commissioner or sheriff is entitled to deposit the funds into the registry of the superior court so that the superior court can disburse the funds.

If the excess funds remain unclaimed for five years, the funds may be retained. After this time, only a court order from an interpleader action filed in the county where the tax sale occurred, by the claimant for the funds, shall serve as justification for release of the funds.

 

Georgia Tax Deed Purchasers Are Responsible for Paying Association Dues

Under Georgia law, a tax deed purchaser is obligated to pay homeowners’ association assessments that come due after the tax sale. See Croft v. Fairfield Plantation Property Owners Assn., 276 Ga. App. 311, 314 (2005). This includes the period before the purchaser can foreclose on the right of redemption. Georgia courts have held that a tax deed purchaser acquires sufficient title to trigger automatic membership in the association. The rationale is that assessments and fees paid to a homeowners’ associations benefit a tax deed purchaser.

The good news for tax deed holders is that Georgia courts allow tax deed holders to include condominium association assessments paid as part of the redemption price. Harvest Assets, LLC v. Northlake Manor Condo. Assn., 340 Ga. App. 237 (2017).

Georgia Tax Deeds: Excess Tax-Sale Funds and Super Liens

There was an important shift in Georgia tax deed law last year. The Georgia Supreme Court, in DLT List, LLC vs. M7even, 301 Ga. 131 (2017), decided that a party who redeems a tax deed is not automatically first in line to receive excess tax-sale funds following a tax sale.

The facts of DLT List are straightforward: a property was auctioned at a tax sale and sold for $110,000. The delinquent taxes were $5,000, so there were $105,000 in excess tax-sale funds. The delinquent taxpayer applied to the tax commissioner to receive the excess funds–there were no other claims to the funds. Several months later, a third-party, who held a lien against another property owned by the delinquent taxpayer, redeemed. The redeeming party applied for the excess tax-sale funds. The question became who was entitled to the excess tax-sale proceeds.

Under existing law in Georgia, a redeeming party, simply by virtue of redeeming, is entitled to first position against excess tax-sale funds. This arose out of an often-cited case, National Tax Funding vs. Harpagon, 277 Ga. 41 (2003), which involved competing lien holders in the context of a tax sale. Harpagon held that following a tax sale, a competing lien holder had two choices: (1) claim the excess tax-sale funds, or (2) redeem the property. Importantly, if a competing lien holder chose to redeem, the redemption converted the competing lien holder’s claim into a first-position lien against the property. This is known as a “super lien” and allows a redeeming party to leapfrog over higher priority creditors. A super lien has many benefits for tax sale investors.

Redeeming parties, relying on the super lien language in Harpagon, began claiming their super lien status not only gave them a first-position lien against the property, but also entitled them to the excess tax-sale funds following redemption. These claims were affirmed by the courts in cases like Wester v. United Capital Financial of Atlanta, LLC, 282 Ga. App. 392 (2006).

Fast forward to 2017.  In DLT List, LLC vs. M7even, the Georgia Supreme Court revisited the issue of excess tax-sale funds and found that super liens attach only to real estate, not to personal property. Therefore, because excess tax-sale funds are personal property, super liens don’t attach to excess tax-sale funds. Thus, redeeming parties aren’t entitled to any preference with regard to excess tax-sale funds. By so deciding, the Supreme Court distinguished Harpagon and overruled cases like Wester.

While this ruling isn’t likely to slow down the tax deed business in Georgia, as a real estate investor, it’s something to be aware of.

Redeem a (Non-Judicial) Tax Deed

In Georgia, when property taxes are unpaid, a county is entitled to auction the property to the highest bidder to recover the unpaid property taxes. There are two types of auctions: non-judicial and judicial. This post only covers redeeming a property following a non-judicial tax sale, which includes most tax sales in Georgia.

Following a non-judicial tax sale, the taxpayer or any person who holds right, title, interest in, or a lien on the property may redeem the property within 12 months from the date of sale by paying the redemption amount. OCGA § 48-4-40. Redeeming means paying the tax deed purchaser to get the property back. The property may be redeemed at any time after the initial 12 months until the tax sale buyer forecloses (or terminates) the right to do so by giving proper notice.

To redeem a property following a tax sale, the redeeming party must pay the amount paid for the property at the tax sale, plus any taxes paid on the property by the purchaser after the sale for taxes, plus any special assessments on the property, plus a premium of 20 percent of the amount for the first year, plus 10 percent for each year after that. OCGA § 48-4-2.

After 12 months from the date of the tax sale, the purchaser can forever bar redemption of the property by giving notice to the delinquent taxpayer, the occupant, if any, and upon all persons having recorded any right, title, interest in, or lien on the property. OCGA § 48-4-5.

Suppose the property is not redeemed within the initial 12 month period or within the time allowed under the notice of the right of foreclosure. In that case, redemption is no longer allowed. OCGA § 48-4-47.

Whether you’re buying a tax deed or seeking to redeem a tax deed, please call us at 404-382-9994 to discuss your options.