SAN ANTONIO — Bexar County has help available for property taxes and mortgages.
County leaders say they are cutting down $45 million owed in delinquent property taxes.
There’s still plenty of assistance available.
Inside the Bexar County Tax Assessor-Collectors office—staff are busy helping families.
“We’re trying to get as much money to our citizens who are still suffering from consequences of the pandemic,” Albert Uresti, Bexar County’s Tax Assessor-Collector says that applies to more than 1,700 households in Bexar County.
According to this map, you can check which Texas regions have received the most assistance through the state’s homeowner’s assistance fund.
Uresti provided an update on the program to county commissioners Tuesday morning.
“You can actually have up to $25,000 in delinquent property taxes and up to $65,000 in mortgage. So, in theory, a homeowner could get $90,000 in assistance,” Uresti said, adding the program provides grants that do not need to be paid back.
For about 40 to 60% of people helped so far, the tax office says its doing more than just helping people apply to the program.
“A lot of people don’t even have an email so we’re creating emails for them. We’re kind of going way beyond what we need to do because we want to make sure our citizens get all the help, they can possibly get,” Uresti said.
So far $11 million has been paid into the $45 million.
The county says it’s role is to facilitate getting the money straight to the lenders or the county.
“It’s not a county program, but we’ve adopted it because it helps our mission of keeping families in our homes,” he said.
If you’re interested in applying, you can visit the Texas Homeowner Assistance website. You may qualify if one of the following applies to you:
- Late on one or more payments for mortgage, property tax, property insurance, or HOA/Condo fees
- Household income at or below 100% Area Median Income (AMI) OR 100% of the median income for the U.S., whichever is greater (approximately $79,900)
- Own and occupy home in Texas as primary residence
- Experienced a qualified financial hardship after January 21, 2020 (lost income or increased expenses resulting from the COVID pandemic)
- The following documents are required to apply:
- Approved form of ID (TDL, SS card, Military ID, State ID, birth certificate, etc.)
- Verified income statement (W2, IRS-1099, tax return, pay stub, Employer attestation, etc.)
- Evidence of delinquency (delinquent tax statement, notice from tax attorney, etc.)
