Every year, you will receive a notice stating the amount due for your property taxes—even if you pay your annual property taxes through your mortgage escrow. It is very important that you review this notice carefully for accuracy.
Be sure to confirm that:
The owner(s) name is correct
The mailing address is correct
The property address is correct
If there are multiple owners, all names may not appear on the notice due to space limitations.
How Does the Tax Collector Obtain Your Information?
When you purchase a property, the deed is recorded in the county’s official records. That information is then provided to both the Property Appraiser’s Office and the Tax Collector.
Recently, a news story highlighted how critical it is to keep this information accurate. A homeowner who had been paying her mortgage with escrowed taxes lost her homestead exemption in 2017—despite having properly applied for and received it when she purchased her home.
This year, she paid off her mortgage and requested a tax bill to pay directly. To her surprise, the bill totaled approximately $7,200. When she contacted the county, she learned that her homestead renewal notice had been returned to the county marked “return to sender.” The issue traced back to a wrong ZIP code entered by the title company at the time of purchase in 1999. The error went unnoticed for years until the returned mail triggered the removal of her homestead exemption.
Fortunately, she was able to recover four years of overpaid taxes, and her annual tax bill was reduced from approximately $7,200 to $2,937—a significant difference.
How You Can Ensure Your Information Is Correct
On the day of closing, the title company will provide you with a copy of the deed to the property you are purchasing. This is a critical document. Take the time to review it carefully and make sure there are no errors in names, mailing address, property address and legal description.
Our Commitment to Accuracy
As an experienced Florida title company, we do our best to ensure that the name, address, and legal description on your deed are accurate. We are always happy to help answer questions about the home closing process and guide you through it with care and attention to detail.