a. It shall be lawful for the commissioner of finance, or his or her designee, to postpone or cancel any proposed sale of a tax lien or tax liens on property that shall have been advertised and noticed for sale prior to the date of sale. For purposes of this section, the words, "date of sale" shall have the same meaning provided in section 11-320(e) of this chapter. The city shall not be liable for any damages as a result of cancellation or postponement of a proposed sale of a tax lien or tax liens, nor shall any cause of action arise from such cancellation or postponement.
b. In accordance with rules promulgated by the commissioners of finance and environmental protection, a property owner, or other eligible person, as defined by rule, acting on behalf of an owner, may enter into agreements with the departments of finance and environmental protection for the payment in installments of any delinquent real property taxes, assessments, sewer rents, sewer surcharges, water rents, or any other charges that are made a lien subject to the provisions of this chapter. The proposed sale of a tax lien or tax liens on property shall be cancelled when a property owner, or other eligible person acting on behalf of an owner, enters into an agreement with the respective agency for the payment of any such lien. Such rules shall also provide that such property owners or such other eligible persons be given information regarding eligibility for real property tax exemption programs prior to entering into such agreements. As used in this subdivision, the term "other eligible person" shall include a fiduciary, as defined in paragraph three of subdivision (a) of section 11-1.1 of the estates, powers and trusts law, acting with respect to the administration of the property of an estate of a decedent who owned the real property as to which an agreement under this subdivision is sought, or on behalf of a beneficiary of such real property from such estate. Any rules promulgated in accordance with this subdivision defining "other eligible person" shall include in such definition the means by which a beneficiary of real property of the estate of a decedent who owned real property as to which an agreement under this subdivision is sought meets the definition of "other eligible person." Such means shall include the furnishing of any death certificates or other relevant documents that substantiate the claim of a beneficiary that they are the legal owner of the property. Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, no more than one such agreement with each respective agency may be in effect for a property at any one time.
1. If payments required from a property owner, or other eligible person acting on behalf of an owner, pursuant to such an agreement are not made for a period of six months, such property owner, or such other eligible person, shall be in default of such agreement, and the tax lien or tax liens on the subject property may be sold, provided, however, that such default may be cured upon such property owner's, or such other eligible person's, bringing all installment payments and all current charges that are outstanding at the time of the default to a current status, which shall include, but not be limited to, any outstanding interest and fees, prior to the date of sale, provided, however, that such property owner, or such other eligible person, may elect to cure such default by entering into a new installment agreement with a down payment of twenty percent, or more, of all delinquent real property taxes, assessments, sewer rents, sewer surcharges, water rents and other charges that are made a lien subject to the provisions of this chapter, including any outstanding interest and fees, prior to the date of sale. If such default is not cured prior to the date of sale, such property owner, and any other eligible person acting on behalf of an owner, shall not be eligible to enter into an installment agreement for the subject property for five years, unless there is a finding of extenuating circumstances by the department that entered into the installment agreement with the property owner or such other eligible person. Notwithstanding the prohibition against entering into an installment agreement for the subject property for five years, a property owner, or such other eligible person, who has defaulted on an installment agreement and whose lien has been sold and, subsequent to the sale of the lien, whose property on which the lien was sold is subject to another tax lien that is eligible to be sold, may elect to enter into another installment agreement with respect to such other lien before the end of such five-year period, provided that such property owner, or such other eligible person, makes a down payment of twenty percent, or more, of all delinquent real property taxes, assessments, sewer rents, sewer surcharges, water rents and other charges that are made a lien subject to the provisions of this chapter, including any outstanding interest and fees, prior to the date of the sale. No such property owner, or such other eligible person, may make the election that is authorized pursuant to this paragraph to enter into an installment agreement with a down payment more than once for the subject property. The standards relating to defaults and cures of defaults of installment agreements set forth in this paragraph apply to installment agreements entered into pursuant to such election.
2. An installment agreement shall provide for payments by the property owner, or other eligible person acting on behalf of an owner, on a quarterly or monthly basis, for a period not less than eight years and not more than ten years, provided that a property owner, or other eligible person acting on behalf of an owner, may elect a period less than eight years. Except as provided in paragraph one of this subdivision, there shall be no down payment required upon the property owner's, or such other eligible person's, entering into the installment agreement with the respective department, but the property owner, or other eligible person acting on behalf of an owner, may elect to make a down payment. With respect to installment agreements with the commissioner of environmental protection, the determination of whether payments shall be on a quarterly or monthly basis shall be in the discretion of such commissioner, except as provided in paragraph three of this subdivision. With respect to installment agreements with the commissioner of finance, the determination of whether payments shall be on a quarterly or monthly basis shall be in the discretion of the property owner, or other eligible person acting on behalf of an owner.
3. Beginning January first, two thousand twelve, any property owner who has entered into an installment agreement with the commissioner of environmental protection pursuant to this subdivision and who has automated meter reading shall receive a consolidated monthly bill for current sewer rents, sewer surcharges and water rents and any payment due under such installment agreement.
4. No later than September first, two thousand eleven, the commissioners of finance and environmental protection shall promulgate rules governing installment agreements, including but not limited to, the terms and conditions of such agreements, the payment schedules, and the definition and consequences of default; no later than June first, two thousand fourteen, the commissioners of finance and environmental protection shall promulgate rules governing eligibility of owners or other eligible persons acting on behalf of owners to enter into installment agreements.
5. All installment agreements executed on or after March first, two thousand fifteen shall include a conspicuous statement that if payments required from a property owner pursuant to such an agreement are not made for a period of six months, such property owner shall be in default of such agreement, and the tax lien or tax liens on the subject property may be sold, provided, however, that such default may be cured upon such property owner's bringing all installment payments and all current charges that are outstanding at the time of the default to a current status, which shall include, but not be limited to, any outstanding interest and fees, prior to the date of sale. Such statement shall also include a notification that if such default is not cured prior to the date of sale, such property owner shall not be eligible to enter into an installment agreement for the subject property for five years, unless there is a finding of extenuating circumstances in accordance with rules promulgated by the department that entered into the installment agreement with the property owner. Such statement shall include the definition of extenuating circumstances. All installment agreements executed on or after the effective date of the local law that added this sentence shall also include a statement describing the conditions under which the property owner, or any other eligible person acting on behalf of an owner, may be eligible, after default, to enter into another installment agreement after such default, in accordance with paragraph one of this subdivision.
6. If a property owner, or other eligible person acting on behalf of an owner, who has entered into an installment agreement with the department of finance, fails to make a payment pursuant to such agreement, then the department of finance shall, after the first missed payment, mail a letter to the property owner, or other eligible person acting on behalf of an owner, stating that such owner, or other eligible person, is at risk of being in default of such agreement. The letter shall be mailed after the first missed payment if the department has not received payment within two weeks of the due date.
c. No later than January 31, 2024, and no later than every January 31 thereafter, the department shall submit a report to the mayor and to the speaker of the council on real property with an assessed value of two hundred fifty thousand dollars or less for which: (A) the owner of such real property has entered into an agreement pursuant to this section for the payment in installments of real property taxes, assessments or other charges that are made a lien subject to the provisions of chapter 3 of this title other than water rents, sewer rents, or sewer surcharges; and (B) such unpaid taxes are subject to the interest rate described in paragraph (i) of subdivision (e) of this section for the preceding calendar year, including, but not limited to the following data:
1. the number of such agreements executed during the preceding calendar year;
2. the number of such agreements that were in effect on December 31 of the preceding calendar year;
3. the number of applications for such agreements that were received during the preceding calendar year, and the number of such applications that were not approved;
4. the average amount of property taxes and charges subject to such agreements; and
5. the number of such agreements that entered into default and the number of defaults that were cured.
(Am. L.L. 2015/014, 2/5/2015, retro. eff. 1/1/2015; Am. L.L. 2017/004, 1/27/2017, eff. 1/27/2017; Am. L.L. 2023/036, 3/14/2023, eff. 3/14/2023)