City of Meriden Tax Sale
August 22, 2023, at 1 p.m.
Location: Meriden Senior Center
22 West Main St
Meriden, CT 06451
A tax sale is a public auction of property conducted by a municipal entity which applies the proceeds against unpaid taxes or similar assessments owed. The sale can be conducted on any real estate owned by an individual or organization which has failed to pay any kind of tax, sewer charge, or similar debt (whether it was assessed on that real estate or not) owed to a city, town, borough, district, or other municipal authority.
What happens at the auction?
A sign is posted at the auction explaining the total delinquency, and
rules are announced for how the auction will be conducted. The property is then auctioned to the highest bidder. Often, several delinquent properties are auctioned on the same day, one at a time. If the bids are too low, the municipality itself can take title to the property or reschedule the auction.
Who can participate in the auction?
Registration takes place at the time and place of the auction, not before. Any member of the public (other than the owner and encumbrancers) may bid on the property so long as he or she has a nonrefundable deposit in a minimum amount announced by the municipality. The deposit must be in certified funds like a bank check; personal checks or home equity line checks are not acceptable. Bidders must also bring government-issued ID and be prepared to provide a social security number (if bidding in their own name) or federal tax identification number (if bidding for an entity). Any member of the public may attend and observe the auction, but only those who register can bid.
Can people inspect the property before bidding?
People interested in bidding may research public records like assessment maps, field cards, land records, and similar documents, or look at the property from the road or sidewalk. They may also hire an appraisal service to conduct a curbside value estimate. No one, however, may trespass onto the property itself, or violate the privacy rights of any occupants. The municipality has no power to let interested bidders enter a property being auctioned at any time. (The only exception is that a municipality can authorize ground testing of a property with a known contamination history, with no guarantees as to the environmental condition or whether testing has been or should be done.)
How does the bidding work?
The minimum bid will be an amount determined by the municipality. It is usually the total delinquency including principal, interest, and fees due plus the cost of the auction and any jeopardy acceleration of subsequent installments (see below). Bidding will increase in an orderly fashion and as appropriate to maximize the final price. When someone is declared the highest bidder, he or she submits the deposit and must pay the rest of the bid (also in certified funds) by a fixed deadline.
Otherwise, the deposit is forfeited, and the next-highest bid might be accepted instead depending on the rules announced at the auction. All unsuccessful bidders get their deposits back immediately. (Some bidders name themselves as alternative payees – such as, “John Smith OR Pullman & Comley, Trustee” – to simplify getting their money back from their bank.)
For more information, please visit cttaxsales.com