Hundreds of delinquent properties will be up for bids next week.
The annual delinquent tax sales for Barnwell and Allendale counties will be held on Monday, Dec. 5 at 10 a.m. The Allendale sale is held at the James Brandt Building (298 Barnwell Highway, Allendale) while the Barnwell sale is held at the Barnwell County Courthouse (141 Main Street, Barnwell). Up for sale will be properties that have unpaid taxes from last year.
“The last thing I want is for people to lose their property. This is a last resort because we send out so many notices,” said Barnwell County Tax Collector Alissa Abbott.
Prior to the sale, the tax collector’s offices make every effort to collect the delinquent taxes. This includes mailing execution notices, sending a certified letter, posting a levy on the property, and publishing the list in the newspaper for three weeks.
“I go as far as calling people on the phone and knocking on doors,” said Allendale County Tax Collector Bridjet Woods. “I don’t like to see people lose property. They work hard for what they’ve got.”
Owners of the delinquent properties have until 5 p.m. this Friday, Dec. 2 to pay what is owed. After that, the properties will be sold to the highest bidder at next week’s sales.
As of Monday evening, Nov. 28, Barnwell County had 308 properties still unpaid, which Abbott said is a lot higher than the last couple of year. Last year, the county had 97 properties up for bids on the day of the auction, said Abbott.
Meanwhile, Allendale County had 162 properties left as of Tuesday morning, Nov. 29. Woods said they typically have at least 200 properties to sale on the day of the auction.
The starting bid is the back taxes plus the current tax bill, said Abbott.
Even if someone loses their property at the auction, they have one more chance to get their property back.
“They have one year to redeem their property, but it costs them a bit more,” said Abbott.
They must pay tax bills for both years plus any interest. Interest gradually increases from 3 to 12 percent every three months during the year after the auction, Abbott said.
“Once redemption is done, the bidder is given their bid money back plus any interest to that point,” said Abbott.
If the property includes a mobile home, the defaulting taxpayer must pay rent to the purchaser at the time of redemption that’s equal to one-twelfth of the taxes for the last completed property tax year, according to state law.
The tax collectors typically lead the sale as the auctioneer, but Abbott said she plans to have a professional auctioneer at the auction to help with the timing. This will help due to having more properties this year and will allow Abbott to complete the paperwork earlier.
“In the last couple of years, we’ve had fewer properties but it’s taking longer because people are bidding more. The process takes forever when people are going back and forth. We’ve brought more money in than ever,” said Abbott of how the 2021 auction brought in $750,772.18.
Turn to pages 1-6C of this edition for the third and final list of delinquent properties for 2022.
