By admin 
TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – Hundreds of Pima County homeowners are being told their property taxes were not paid when they actually were.
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The Pima County Treasurer’s Office is sending letters threatening a lien, but the notices are not a scam. The issue affects homeowners who pay their taxes through their mortgage lender.
The letter, mailed June 1, is a “Notice of Past Due Real Estate Taxes.”
One homeowner was told she owes nearly $2,000 by June 30 or the county could later auction the debt, starting a clock toward potential foreclosure.
Her mortgage payments are up to date, and her lender provided proof of payment to the county last month. She is not alone.
The Treasurer’s Office is being flooded with calls.
Chief Deputy Treasurer Jake Martin said they are waiting on a third-party servicer used by the mortgage company.
“We received a bulk payment from that third-party servicer, and they have yet to delineate properties we are supposed to apply those payments to,” Martin said. “So essentially what happened is we had a lot of Pima County property owners who received delinquent notices who shouldn’t have received them. Even though we received the money, we have not been notified where to apply the money yet. So the accounts are showing as delinquent even though the mortgage company has technically paid.”
Martin said it is unclear how many residents are affected until they know where to apply the money.
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A series of payments was processed on June 3, including one for the homeowner interviewed. But Martin said one bulk payment is still unprocessed, leaving some homeowners in limbo.
“My best advice for those who received a delinquent notice but they know their mortgage company is supposed to be paying it: Verify with the mortgage company, and if the mortgage company has made the payment, then they can relax,” Martin said. “It’s just a matter of processing time. Once we receive the communication from the third-party servicer, we will apply those payments to the accounts they go to, and everything will be taken care of.”
Martin said payments will be backdated so homeowners will not face penalties, interest, or credit impacts. His office is working to make sure this does not happen again.
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