ATTENTION: 2009 Lien Information

A lien sale is when the City sells debt to a private collector (known as a lien holder) who assumes the right to collect the debt, set fees and interest, and even move to foreclosure. The City may do this depending on how much is owed and how old the debt is. In a lien, the lienholder assumes the debt, not property.

The 2009 Lien Exemptions apply to:
PROPERTY TAXES-
-1, 2, and 3-family homes with Senior citizen Homeowner Exemption (SCHE); Disabled Homeowner Exemption (DHE); or Real Property Circuit Breaker Personal Income Tax Credit (Circuit Breaker PIT);
-active duty military personnel may also request an exemption.

WATER/SEWER EXCLUSIONS-
-1-family homes;
-2-and-3-family homes with SCHE, DHE, Circuit Breaker PIT.

*There are 24,111 “at-risk” properties in New York City; 10,670 in Brooklyn (highest number in all boroughs).
-20,089 of the total number (46,830) of liens sold in New York City from 1996-2008 were from Brooklyn properties.

*There are approximately 8,771 lien sale eligible accounts in Brooklyn (from a total of 260,503 “active” accounts), or 3.4% of accounts.
-of 8,771 eligible accounts, 7,057 of those accounts are made eligible due to water liens alone.

*DEP has the authority to conduct stand-alone lien sales on delinquent water and sewer accounts.

DEP Payment Incentive Program (PIP3):

*Through April 7, 2009, DEP will offer a Payment Incentive Program to Residential Mixed Use properties and Condos.
-Customers who make payments in full or enter into a payment agreement by that date, will have 100% of their late payment charges removed;
-Customers owing more than $2,500 after these reductions will be able to enter into a payment agreement on this reduced amount;
-Customers who don’t enroll will have to pay the full, original charged on their account. If the lien goes to sale, customers will pay an additional 5% surcharge and 18% per year in interest.

*As of January 2009, there were 4,000 Residential Mixed use and Condo Properties PIP3 eligible accounts with a total delinquency of approximately $85.3Million, including late payment charges;

*The total incentive being offered is nearly $15.4Million, leaving an approximate settlement amount of $70Million.

*For customers having difficulty making payment, DEP has developed a Safety New Referral program.
-Seniors, low-income customers, and those affected by the national mortgage and foreclosure crisis who request assistance via DEP’s call center will be referred to one of these partner agencies, who can enroll customers in programs of: mortgage and foreclosure counseling/legal advice, emergency grants to cover household expenses, assistance with energy costs, and food stamps.

DEP Contacts:
Brooklyn Office-(718) 923-2601

2009 Lien Sale Important Dates:

February 3: 90-Day Mailing & Publishing
March 3: 60-Day Mailing
April 1: 30-Day Mailing
April 22: 10-Day Publication
May 1: Last Day To Pay
May 4: 2009 Lien Sale

*There is a 2009 Lien Sale Outreach Session in Brooklyn on April 2, 2009 at the-
Brooklyn Finance Business Center
210 Joralemon Street, 1st Floor*

How to pay your water bill:
Send check or money order with account number to—
NYC Water Board
P.O. Box 410
Church Street Station
New York, NY 10008-0410

Bring check to Brooklyn office at—
250 Livingston Street
8th floor, btwn Hoyt and Bond Streets
(alt. entrance at Schermehorn Street)

PAY ONLINE at www.nyc.gov/dep

PAY over the TELEPHONE at (866) 622-8292 (must have DEP account number, bank number, and checking account routing number available)


*Those needing further information on the 2009 lien sale, or any of the programs mentioned are encouraged to visit www.nyc.gov/liensale, or call—

Finance Tax Lien Ombudsperson
(212) 504-4039

Senior Citizen’s Tax Lien Ombudsperson
(212) 504-4037

DEP Ombuds Unit and Dispute Resolution
(718) 595-6628

Customer Relations Helpline
(212) 504-4080

Business & Community Outreach
(212) 232-1776