Wayne County to Resume Property Tax Foreclosures in 2024: A Shift After Four-Year Pause

Wayne County Treasurer’s Office is gearing up to resume property tax foreclosures in 2024, ending a series of moratoriums initiated in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These measures, varying from a complete halt to foreclosures to targeted pauses for owner-occupied homes, were designed to provide residents with much-needed stability during uncertain times. “It gave people some relief and it gave them time to regroup,” Eric Sabree, Wayne County Treasurer, conveyed to the Detroit Free Press, underscoring the temporary relief these moratoriums offered to the community. With an upcoming deadline, taxpayers are being reminded to clear any overdue property taxes, establish a payment plan, or seek an extension due to financial hardship by the upcoming Monday. The fluctuating nature of foreclosure numbers was highlighted by Sabree, who noted that while the year began with 37,000 parcels at risk across Wayne County, this number is progressively decreasing. The efforts to avert foreclosures last year, particularly for about 3,400 owner-occupied residences, were notably bolstered by a judicial ruling, with Sabree optimistic about removing eligible homeowners from the foreclosure list through Detroit’s Homeowners Property Exemption (HOPE) program, aiming to save over a thousand homes from foreclosure. Foreclosure represents a dire loss for...