What to do if…
you receive a property tax delinquency notice because your escrow payments were not applied

What to do now

1. Check that the notice is really for your property.
   Match the parcel number, property address, tax year, and owner name. If anything looks wrong, use the official county, city, or local tax office website to find contact details.

2. Ask the tax office what stops the next escalation.
   Ask for:

   • The amount needed today to stop the delinquency from growing
   • The next step in your area, such as penalties, lien recording, referral, or tax-sale process
   • The earliest date any next step could happen
   • Whether they can note the account while you work with the mortgage servicer
   • Whether any penalty or interest adjustment may be available if the problem was caused by escrow or servicer error

3. Gather the proof you need first.
   Keep copies of:

   • The delinquency notice
   • Your latest mortgage statement showing escrow collected for taxes
   • Your escrow statement or escrow analysis, if available
   • Your loan number
   • The parcel number or tax account number
   • Any tax-office balance or payoff information you received

4. Call the mortgage servicer and ask for the escrow or tax-disbursement team.
   Say: “I received a property tax delinquency notice. My mortgage escrow was collected for taxes. I need urgent correction and written confirmation of what was paid, when, and to which parcel.”
   Ask for:

   • Whether the tax payment was sent
   • The amount, date, method, and confirmation or trace number
   • Whether the payment was sent to the wrong parcel, wrong tax year, or wrong tax office
   • How they will handle penalties or interest caused by the error

5. Send a written notice of error the same day.
   Include:

   • Your name
   • Information that identifies your mortgage loan account, such as the loan number and property address
   • The specific error: property taxes were not paid, were paid late, or were misapplied even though escrow was collected
   • The parcel number or tax account number
   • What you want corrected: pay or reapply the tax payment, fix the escrow accounting, confirm the correction in writing, and address any penalties or fees caused by the error
     Attach the delinquency notice and keep copies of everything you send.

6. Use the servicer’s designated notice-of-error route if it has one.
   Check your mortgage statement, servicer website, or recent servicer letters for a “notice of error,” “information request,” or “qualified written request” address. If the servicer does not identify one, send the notice through a trackable written route and keep proof of sending.

7. If a deadline is close, protect the property first.
   If the tax office says a lien, tax sale, or other escalation step is close, ask what payment, if any, prevents that step in your jurisdiction. If you pay the tax office yourself, keep the receipt and send it to the servicer with a written request for escrow correction and reimbursement or credit.

8. Confirm posting with the tax office, not just the servicer.
   After the servicer says it paid, check the official tax account or call the tax office to confirm the payment was applied to the correct parcel, tax year, and balance.

9. Escalate if the servicer does not act quickly.
   Ask for a supervisor, keep notes of calls, and keep all follow-up in writing. If the problem is not being fixed or the servicer does not respond, submit a mortgage-servicing complaint to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and attach the notice, escrow proof, and your written notice of error.