Legal Question in Real Estate Law in Pennsylvania

i refinance my house in may 2012 and now in february 2013 i get a notice from my local township that my taxes for 2012 were not paid. I have an escrow account for all taxes. It was determined that the settlement company found that the taxes were due in june of 2012 but i was not made to pay them at the time of closing like i should have been. Am i responsible for paying this now or should the settlement company or mortgage broker be responsible?


Asked on 3/06/13, 8:15 am

1 Answer from Attorneys

Miriam Jacobson Retired from practice of law

You shouldn't be worrying about who is responsible; you should be contacting the settlement company and the mortgage company that is handling your mortgage now, to make sure that they are making the payment when it is due. You should also contact the real estate tax office for your county to explain the escrow that your mortgage company is holding and ask if they have received any payments, and ask that you receive a statement of your account.

Your monthly payment coupons from the mortgage company should indicate the amount that is being paid on the loan and the amount that is being escrowed for the taxes. You could send that to the mortgage company, so that it will see that you are making the payments.

In the loans where an escrow is held by the mortgage company, the borrower usually signs a document at the closing that authorizes the tax authority to sent the tax bills directly to the mortgage company. You probably did that, but the mortgage company may not be diligent in paying the taxes.

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Answered on 3/06/13, 9:22 am


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