Cuyahoga Sold a Tax Lien on Your House? How to Pay It Off and Sell
Getting a letter from a company you have never heard of about your property taxes is unsettling. In Cuyahoga County, it may mean the Treasurer sold a tax lien certificate on your house. The County did not sell your house. It sold the right to collect your back taxes, and that changes who you pay and what it costs. You can still sell, and the lien can be paid from your proceeds at closing.
A modest older bungalow with an enclosed front porch and slightly overgrown hedges in gray late-autumn light, with damp leaves on the walk
A tax lien certificate means Cuyahoga County sold the right to collect your back taxes, not your house. You still own it and can sell it. The lien gets paid off from your sale proceeds, using a payoff from the certificate holder. In Cuyahoga, that is NAR Ohio for certificates sold in 2026 and Finch Investment Group for 2018 to 2023. The holder can ask to foreclose after one year, and the cost rises once it does.
What a tax lien certificate is
Ohio law lets county treasurers sell tax lien certificates on parcels with delinquent taxes. In Cuyahoga County, taxes still unpaid after the second-half collection in July are certified as delinquent, advertised by the Fiscal Office, and then eligible for a certificate sale. The County sells them in bulk through a negotiated sale, not one house at a time.
The buyer pays the County the full amount of the delinquent taxes. In return, the buyer holds a lien and the right to collect that amount, plus interest, from you. The Treasurer's page is clear that it is not selling your property. You keep paying current taxes to the County Treasurer as usual.
The Treasurer's page also says the certificate buyer records the lien with the County Fiscal Office's Transfer and Recording Department. That means it becomes part of the public record on your property, and a title search for any sale will find it. It is not something a buyer or title company will miss.
| Certificate sold | Who to contact for a payoff | Source |
|---|---|---|
| In 2026 | NAR Ohio, 1-866-960-0067, narohiopayoffs@narsolutions.net, or the NAR Payment Portal | Cuyahoga County Treasurer |
| 2018 to 2023 | Finch Investment Group, LLC (FIG), 844-PAY-LIEN (1-844-729-5436), payoff@figtaxes.com, or figtaxes.com | Cuyahoga County Treasurer |
| Current taxes, payment plans for delinquencies not yet sold | Cuyahoga County Treasurer, Taxpayer Services, 216-443-7400 Option 1 | Cuyahoga County Treasurer |
These contacts come from the Treasurer's Tax Lien Certificate Sales page as we read it in October 2026. The page does not list a contact for 2024 or 2025. If your certificate is from another year, call the Treasurer first.
Want a number that pays the lien off?
Tell us the address. We will give you a no-obligation cash offer and work with the title company to get the certificate payoff and clear it at closing.
The clock: one year, then foreclosure can start
Ohio law lets the certificate holder file a request for foreclosure with the county treasurer any time after one year from the date the certificate was sold, as long as the certificate period has not ended and the parcel has not been redeemed. The Treasurer's page puts it the same way: if the lien is not paid back within twelve months, the holder may file a foreclosure action. Cuyahoga says its certificates are limited by contract to three years.
What the payoff includes
Cuyahoga sells certificates by negotiated sale. For that kind of sale, Ohio law defines the certificate redemption price as:
- The certificate purchase price, which is the delinquent taxes the buyer paid.
- Interest at the certificate rate. For negotiated sales, the treasurer sets the rate, and it cannot be more than 18% a year.
- Any fee the treasurer charged the buyer.
- Any recording fees charged by a county office for the certificate.
If the holder has already paid to start foreclosure, the law adds more: 18% a year interest on what the holder paid to start it, the county prosecutor's fee with interest, reasonable attorney fees if the holder hired a private attorney, and other court or board costs. That is why acting before the one-year mark usually costs less.
Under the statute, interest for a negotiated sale runs up to the day before the redemption price is paid. So when you ask for a payoff, ask what date it is good through, and whether there is a daily amount to add if closing slips.
How a sale clears the lien
Find out which year your certificate was sold
Get a written payoff
Check whether foreclosure has started
Let the title company handle the payment
Bring current taxes up to date too
Ohio law says the certificate period is tolled while your bankruptcy case is open, and the holder must file a proof of claim. Our post on selling during Chapter 13 covers how a sale works during a case.
If a certificate has not been sold yet
Maybe you are behind on taxes but have not heard from a certificate holder. The Treasurer's page says the way to avoid a certificate sale is to pay your taxes in full or enter a delinquent tax payment plan with the Treasurer's office. Here is what else the County lists on its Delinquency page:
- Late penalty. Current tax payments not received within 10 days of the due date, or postmarked by it, get a 10% late penalty.
- Interest. The annual interest rate on delinquent real estate taxes is 12%, by written order of the Treasurer as certified by the Ohio Tax Commissioner.
- Payment plans. The office offers plans to taxpayers who have fallen behind. You still have to keep current taxes paid while on a plan.
- Help for older residents. A Taxpayer Assistance Program offers relief for residents 67 and older who make less than $70,000 a year and have tax delinquencies.
- Free counseling. The County's Financial Empowerment Center offers free one-on-one financial counseling, and the Treasurer holds Delinquent Tax Talk events around the county.
Ohio law also gives many owner-occupants a right to a payment plan, but that right is not available once a tax lien certificate is outstanding. Our post on selling a house with back taxes in Cleveland explains who qualifies and when the right ends. For questions, the Treasurer lists Taxpayer Services at 216-443-7400, Option 1.
Your six options
| Option | What happens to the certificate | What to weigh |
|---|---|---|
| Keep it and pay it off | You redeem it, in full or on a plan with the holder | Interest keeps running until it is paid. Current taxes still come due |
| Repair it | Still accruing while you work | Repairs do not stop the one-year clock |
| Rent it out | Still accruing | Rent would need to cover the redemption, current taxes and costs |
| List with an agent | Paid from proceeds at closing | Commissions often run 5.5% to 6%. Time on the market adds interest |
| Sell it yourself (FSBO) | Paid from proceeds at closing | No commission, but you coordinate the payoff and title work |
| Sell direct for cash | Paid from proceeds at closing | As fast as 7 days, typically around 21, which can limit added interest. Compare the net |
If you owe more in liens than the house would bring, a sale may not clear everything. Get the payoffs first, then compare what each path leaves you.
See what you would walk away with
We will put a written cash offer next to the certificate payoff, any mortgage and the costs of sale, and set it beside a listing estimate. If listing nets you more, we will tell you.
This article summarizes Ohio Revised Code §§ 5721.30, 5721.37 and 5721.38 and the Cuyahoga County Treasurer's Delinquency and Tax Lien Certificate Sales pages as we read them in October 2026. It is general information, not legal or tax advice. We do not know the interest rate on your certificate. Get a written payoff from the certificate holder and talk to an Ohio real estate attorney if foreclosure has started.
Questions about back taxes and selling?
Call or send us the address. We will explain how liens are cleared at closing and help you see your options, with no pressure.
Frequently asked questions
No. The Cuyahoga County Treasurer says it is not selling the underlying property, only the right to collect the delinquent taxes. The certificate buyer pays the County the delinquency and holds a lien. You still own the house.
The Treasurer's page says to contact NAR Ohio at 1-866-960-0067 for certificates sold in 2026, and Finch Investment Group at 844-PAY-LIEN (1-844-729-5436) for certificates sold from 2018 to 2023.
Yes. You still own it. The lien is a debt against the property, so it is typically paid from the sale proceeds at closing, with a payoff from the certificate holder. The County says payments on these parcels must be made in certified funds.
Ohio law lets the holder file a request for foreclosure any time after one year from the date the certificate was sold, and before the certificate period ends. Cuyahoga says its certificates are limited by contract to three years.
For negotiated sales like Cuyahoga's, the redemption price is the amount the buyer paid plus interest at the certificate rate, the treasurer's fee and recording fees. The rate is set by the treasurer and cannot be more than 18% a year. If the holder has already started foreclosure, more is added: 18% interest on what the holder paid to start it, the prosecutor's fee, attorney fees and costs.
Yes, with limits. For certificates sold in a negotiated sale, Ohio law lets the owner enter a redemption payment plan with the certificate holder until a foreclosure decree is entered. The Treasurer's page says the same.
Yes. The Treasurer says the taxpayer stays responsible for current taxes, which are paid to the Cuyahoga County Treasurer, not to the certificate holder.
Ohio law says the certificate period is tolled while the owner's bankruptcy case is open, and the holder must file a proof of claim to protect its interest.
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