By state law, in order to bid at a tax sale, an individual must first obtain a Bidders Statement from the Tax Assessor-Collectors office. This statement indicates the applicant does not owe delinquent taxes in Travis County, or in a school district or municipality having territory in Travis County. The Request For Statement (called the Bidders Statement) requires the individual to list all properties currently or previously owned and the names, as listed on the deed, for each property. Owners of property with delinquent taxes due are not permitted to bid at a tax sale.
Bidders Statement Applications are not accepted by fax or e-mail. They must be mailed or hand-delivered to our 5501 Airport Blvd. location at least 5 business days before the date of the sale. The fee for a Bidders Statement is $10 and the qualified bidder will receive three copies, good for 90 days from the date of issuance. This document is issued pursuant to the requirements of Texas Property Tax Code (Sec. 34.015) and Texas Civil Practices and Remedies Code (Sec. 34.0445) and is not a tax certificate issued per Texas Property Tax (Sec. 31.08)
The second part of the law states that the bidder at a tax sale shall be listed as grantee of the tax deed. The name on the deed cannot be changed later. This means a bidder may not bid on behalf of another. However, this law does not apply to corporations, partnerships,
Please note - The buyer at a tax foreclosure sale on the courthouse steps receives a Constables Deed. This is not a warranty deed and only serves to convey to the purchaser the ownership held by the tax lawsuit defendants (for better or worse). The deed also conveys the property to the purchaser free of tax liens for tax years that were included in the tax suit from which judgment was taken. Subsequent years taxes may be due. Processing of a Constable Deed after a public foreclosure sale can take as long as a month.
For more information, please contact Travis County.
