Tax Deeds
Applications for Tax Deed are initiated by Certificate Holders and made to the Orange County Tax Collector, located at: 200 S. Orange Ave., 16th Floor, Orlando, FL 32801, by phone (407) 434-0312 or on the web at www.octaxcol.com.
All sales are conducted online through RealAuction. Bidders must first register on the RealAuction website and place a deposit at least three business days prior to the sale. Contact RealAuction at (877) 361-7325 if you need assistance.
Prior to the start of the sale, each participant wishing to place a bid on a property must have sufficient funds on deposit with the Comptroller, i.e., a minimum of $200 or 5% of the winning high bid for each property on which they want to bid. Deposits are made in the form of wire transfer only. Bidding is limited to available deposit funds.
The deposit will be applied to the total payoff amount but deposit accounts may not be used to pay the balance due.
Deposit balances may be kept for bidding on future auctions. Deposit balances are only returned upon request via check from the Orange County Comptroller. Please allow at least three weeks to receive a check refund.
See Payment FAQ for more information on finalizing the transaction.
A Tax Deed is issued and recorded by the Orange County Comptroller once full payment is received. This document is typically issued within 24 hours of final payment.
Orange County does not offer a finance program for Tax Deeds.
Foreclosure Sales, not to be confused with Tax Deed Sales, are conducted by the Orange County Clerk of Courts, located at: 425 N. Orange Ave., Suite 310, Orlando, FL 32801 Phone: (407) 836-2055 or on the web at www.myorangeclerk.com.
According to Section 197.562, F.S., the high bidder shall be entitled to immediate possession of the property as soon as the Tax Deed has been signed and recorded.
When a property does not sell, it becomes available for purchase for the outstanding taxes due. The Lands Available List for taxes is available on the Tax Deed Sales section of this website. Select the Status of “Lands Available” and Sale Date of “Any Date”.
We do not have a mailing list. Please check the RealAuction website for a listing of properties for sale.
Payment of the balance due must be initiated by the winning bidder using the RealAuction website to create an invoice. The balance due must be paid within 24 hours from the time of the winning auction. If the balance due is not received by that time, the sale is void. The property is then re-advertised once, and offered for sale at a future date. Additionally, the deposit will be forfeited and the successful high bidder will be banned from participating in future sales for a minimum of one year.
The successful high bidder will have the deposit amount of $200.00 or 5% of the high bid, whichever is greater, pulled from their deposit account at the conclusion of the bidding for each certificate.
The balance of your bid is due within 24 hours from the successful winning bid. Payment of the exact balance may be by wire online though your RealAuction account. Payment may also be made in person at the Orange County Comptroller’s office at 109 E. Church Street, Suite 300, Orlando, Florida 32801. Payment made in person must be a cashier’s check or money order made payable to the Orange County Comptroller, or cash. If the remaining balance of the high bid is not paid within 24 hours of the sale, the deposit is forfeited and the bidder is banned from auction for one year.
In addition to the final bid amount, Recording Fees & Documentary Stamps are also required payment on all Tax Deed sales.
Properties that have not been redeemed prior to sale, and that receive no bids at the sale, are struck to the applicant, who is the holder of the tax certificate. If these properties are not paid for within 30 days, they will be added to the list of Lands Available for taxes.
Information about the property can be obtained from the RealAuction website or the Orange County Property Appraiser’s website.
Full payment of all taxes due is necessary to redeem a property in a tax deed status. If taxes are paid prior to the sale, the property is considered redeemed and will not be sold. Once the sale starts, the property can still be redeemed until final payment is received by the Orange County Comptroller.
All Tax Deed Sales are now done online through RealAuction.com. The Orange County Comptroller’s last live auction was held on September 29, 2016.
The auctions are conducted online through RealAuction through a proxy bidding process. At the date and time specified for the sale, each item is auctioned in order of tax certificate number. The property is sold to the highest qualified bidder.
The minimum bid amount includes back taxes, interest, and other miscellaneous statutory charges. Each bid thereafter must be in increments of at least $100. The last bid extends the auction for another minute to prevent last second “sniping.” Bidding continues until no further increases are submitted. The high bidder and is awarded the right to purchase the property.
All sales are conducted online through RealAuction.com. Bidders must first register on their website and place a deposit by wire transfer that is received by 4:00 PM the day prior to the auction. Contact RealAuction at (877) 361-7325 if you need assistance.
Information about the pending sales can be obtained from the RealAuction website.
Tax Certificates are sold by the Orange County Tax Collector, located at: 200 S. Orange Ave., 16th Floor, Orlando, FL 32801. Phone: (407) 434-0312 or on the web at www.octaxcol.com.
The County does not guarantee the title in any way. Bidders may need to contact their legal advisor to evaluate title quality. A Property Information Report for each certificate can be found in the tax deed file on the Orange County Comptroller’s website. However, the Comptroller’s office is not responsible for any discrepancies or omissions on this report and it is the responsibility of the buyer to research the property prior to bidding and purchasing. Tax Deeds are sold AS IS on a BUYER BEWARE basis. Properties may be subject to additional taxes and/or liens.
