This game tells the story of the homeowners, property owners, speculators, and investors who participate in Baltimore's tax sale lien process.
To begin, who are you?
- You are a [[Homeowner]]
- You are a [[Renter]]
One day, you find a letter in your mailbox. It is from Baltimore City. What do you do?
- [[Open the letter]]
- [[Leave the letter unopened]]
One day, your landlord recieves a letter from Baltimore City.
What do you think your landlord will do?
- [[Open the letter]]
- [[Leave the letter unopened]]
Note: This prototype currently just connects back to the home storyline at this point. A separate storyline for the experience of a tenant could be developed in the future.
Oh no! You have unpaid taxes or fees.
What do you do?
- [[Pay the tax bill]]
- [[Not pay the tax bill]]
You decide to leave the letter unopened. A few weeks later, a second letter from the city arrives. This time you decide to open the letter.
It is your final notice about unpaid taxes that you owe to Baltimore City. What do you do?
- [[Pay the tax bill]]
- [[Continue to not pay the tax bill]]
You decide not to pay the bill.
One day, another letter arrives in your mailbox. It is from Baltimore City. You open the envelope and take out the letter.
It is your final notice for unpaid taxes!
What do you do?
- [[Pay the tax bill]]
- [[Continue to not pay the tax bill]]
What a relief! You have enough money to pay the bill. Are you curious to find out what would have happened if you did not pay the bill?
What is the Baltimore City [[Tax Lien Sale]]?
Oh no! Your house is now going to be sold in the Baltimore City Tax Lien Sale.
What is the [[Tax Lien Sale]]?
The Tax Lien Sale process begins when Baltimore City advertises the list of liens up for sale in the newspaper.
A few months later, the tax lien is purchased by an investor. Not long after, you find another letter from Baltimore City in your mailbox.
[[Open the new letter]]
The letter explains that a "Certificate" for their tax has been purchased. What does that mean?
It is means you still need to pay those taxes.
- [[You pay in the next four months]]
- [[You pay in the next six months]]
- [[You can't pay for six months to two years]]
You pay the "certificate" amount plus 18% and the current taxes. You keep your house.
[[The End]]
Oh no! If you don't pay in the first four months, you need to pay both Baltimore City and the investor. You pay the "certificate" amount plus 18%, the current taxes, and additional fees. You keep your house.
[[The End]]
Oh no! After six months (or nine months, a year, or even two years) of not paying the "certificate" amount, the investor who holds that certificate files in court to take ownership of your house. You can pay the amount owed or fight the case in court prior to court judgement.
[[The End]]
This is an experimental "choose your own adventure" style introduction to the issue of Tax Lien Sales in Baltimore City. Eli Pousson created this game on 2015 December 2 based on the Abell Foundation Tax Sale Lien Report and a presentation from Robin Jacobs of the <a href="http://communitylaw.org/">Community Law Center</a>.
Learn more from the Abell Foundation report: <a href="http://www.abell.org/publications/steep-price-paying-stay">“The Steep Price of Paying to Stay: Baltimore City’s Tax Sale, the Risks to Vulnerable Homeowners, and Strategies to Improve the Process”</a>.
''Read more homeowner experiences with Tax Lien Sale''
- <a href="http://www.belair-edison.org/2015/02/19/adventures-with-the-baltimore-city-tax-sale/">Adventures with the Baltimore City Tax Sale</a>, Belair-Edison Neighborhoods, Inc., February 19, 2015