‘We don’t owe this’: Baltimore homeowners hit with surprise bills up to 21 years old — some were billed for years before they bought their properties

“We don’t owe this,” she told WMAR-2 News. “That’s why they do the title checks.”

Hay’s notice was one of 50,123 that were sent by the Bureau of Revenue Collections, the Department of Finance (DOF) office that collects taxes and fees. Together, they asked for $504.6 million in water bills, property taxes, citations and other charges.

Another woman, who says she has paid the city $70 a year for a permit to use a public right-of-way space since 1989, got a notice saying she still owes for 2005.

If you received one of these notices and haven’t paid, your balance has been growing since Oct. 31, when the DOF says extra interest and penalties started. Many of these charges include liens. An unpaid lien can be auctioned off and could eventually cost them the property through foreclosure, but those being billed need to be warned first.

Why old balances are showing up now

Baltimore sends out notices every October. This year, the DOF had updated its system, and the department told WMAR the new setup surfaces old balances that past letters left out.

The letters WMAR reviewed were dated Oct. 8 and due Oct. 31, but some people said theirs didn’t arrive until Oct. 16. City councilwoman Odette Ramos, who represents District 14, said the DOF is to blame, since residents normally get 30 days to pay.

Hay said neither she nor her title company heard back after emailing the city to get the charges dropped. When she reached out, she was told her question would go to a supervisor, and an answer could take up to two months.

What Baltimore law says about pre-purchase debts

A deed can’t be recorded in Baltimore until a lien certificate from Finance has been obtained. Under city code, if a charge wasn’t on that certificate, the city can’t come after a buyer who paid in good faith without knowing about it. It can still go after whoever owned the property when the certificate was issued.

The department told WMAR it’s clearing charges that never made it onto a property’s lien sheet at the time of sale. It’s correcting other errors, too, but hasn’t disclosed any further details.