Investing guides / New York

New York tax sale investing: buy the property itself at the county sale

Quick answerNew York sells tax deeds for unpaid property taxes. Redemption: 2 years after the lien date by default under Article 11 (RPTL § 1110), extendable by local law to 3 or 4 years for residential or farm property, and shortened to 1 year for vacant and abandoned residential property (§ 1111-a); redemption ends at the in rem foreclosure judgment, after which the county resells the parcel with no further redemption Sales: County (or self-enforcing city/village) deed auctions after in rem foreclosure, scheduled by each tax district year-round; New York City's separate lien sale is held annually when authorized (the 2025 sale was June 3, 2025) Governing law: N.Y. Real Property Tax Law Article 11, §§ 1100–1197 (Uniform Delinquent Tax Enforcement Act); for New York City lien sales, N.Y.C. Admin. Code §§ 11-301 et seq., esp. § 11-319.

How it works in New York

In New York the county sells the property itself at a tax deed auction. Win the bid and the deed is yours — along with the due diligence burden, because sales are as-is and buyer beware.

Interest / penalty: n/a — under RPTL Article 11 the tax district holds and forecloses its own lien, so no lien certificate is sold to investors and no investor interest rate applies; delinquency interest owed to the tax district is at the RPTL § 924-a rate, never less than 12% per year. NYC lien-sale purchasers charge the City's delinquency rates plus a 5% surcharge (see notes)

Redemption: 2 years after the lien date by default under Article 11 (RPTL § 1110), extendable by local law to 3 or 4 years for residential or farm property, and shortened to 1 year for vacant and abandoned residential property (§ 1111-a); redemption ends at the in rem foreclosure judgment, after which the county resells the parcel with no further redemption

When sales happen: County (or self-enforcing city/village) deed auctions after in rem foreclosure, scheduled by each tax district year-round; New York City's separate lien sale is held annually when authorized (the 2025 sale was June 3, 2025)

Where sales run: Auctions International and other county-retained auctioneers — many county deed auctions are online, some remain in-person, RealAuction (Nassau County lien sale), NYC: no public platform — bulk sale to a single authorized buyer only

Governing law: N.Y. Real Property Tax Law Article 11, §§ 1100–1197 (Uniform Delinquent Tax Enforcement Act); for New York City lien sales, N.Y.C. Admin. Code §§ 11-301 et seq., esp. § 11-319

The investor's edge

Your edge is the max bid: value the property from county records and recent sales, subtract title-clearing and repair reality, and write the number down before the auction opens.

Verified against Tax Sale Atlas (Sep. 27, 2026): outside NYC, New York is a deed state — investors buy only foreclosed parcels the county already owns, not liens. The big exceptions are NYC, which sells liens in bulk through securitized NYCTL trusts to a single authorized buyer (no individual-investor auction; post-sale interest is 6%/9%/16% by assessed value plus a 5% surcharge), and charter jurisdictions such as Nassau County (lien sale) and Suffolk County (its own tax deed act). Secondary sources quoting a generic 'up to 20%' NY lien rate could not be verified against the statute and were not used.

Never check New York county lists by hand again

LienToDeed watches the published lists and texts you the moment new New York properties are listed — scored, with your max number. Free calendar and laws for every state.

Get New York alerts

Full legal reference: New York tax sale laws. Verified 2026-10-30 against the sources on that page. Educational only, not investment advice.