Maryland's Foreclosed Property Registry

Maryland’s Foreclosed Property Registry

Say you’ve got a vacant, foreclosed home on your block or in your homeowner’s association. Not only is it an eyesore, but it can attract pests, break-ins, or even squatters. Neighbors and condo and homeowners associations can be rightfully concerned that the foreclosed and vacant property will lower their homes’ values.

Maryland’s Foreclosed Property Register, created in 2012, can give certain organizations and homeowners the name, telephone number and address of the foreclosed home’s purchaser. That way, these interested parties can notify code enforcement, the police, or public health and safety agencies of any problems with those homes and who the owner is.

If you’d like to learn how to request the property owner’s name, contact me here.

The purpose of the registry is to help government officials be more aware of the condition of foreclosed properties during the time between a foreclosure auction and when their deed is recorded, which sometimes can take months. With the registry, state and local governments would have timely access to get into contact with the foreclosure property’s owner.

As of Oct. 1, 2012, the buyer of a foreclosed property, within 30 days of the purchase, must register the property by providing: the name, telephone number and address of purchaser; the street address of the property purchased; the date of the foreclosure sale; whether the property is a single family or a multi-family property; and whether the purchaser has possession of the property.

The purchaser, to the best of his or her ability, also should report whether the property is vacant, and the name, telephone number and street address of the person who is responsible for the maintenance of the property.

The fee is $50 to register the property within 30 days of purchase and $100 if registration occurs later than 30 days. Local jurisdictions may impose a civil penalty, not to exceed $1,000, for failure to register a property.

If you’d like to learn how to register a property online, you can contact me here.

Also, if you’d like to see which foreclosed properties are for sale in Montgomery County, Maryland, or anywhere else in the state or Washington, D.C., click here.