Selling a House Behind on Property Taxes in Shreveport

The Caddo Parish property tax timeline

Caddo Parish property taxes are billed in the fall and are due by December 31 each year. Taxes that are not paid by the deadline become delinquent after that date, and interest and costs begin to accrue on the unpaid balance.

Once taxes are delinquent, the parish tax collector can move the property toward a tax sale. That is the point where owners feel the pressure, but it is also where the January 2026 changes matter most, because what happens at that sale is not what it used to be.

January 2026: from tax-sale title to a tax lien

As of January 2026, Louisiana moved from the old tax-sale title system to a tax-lien system. Under the old rules, a buyer at a tax sale received a form of title to the property. Under the new rules, the parish sells a lien against the property rather than ownership of it.

The practical difference for a Shreveport owner is significant. When the parish sells the lien, you keep title to your house. The lien buyer holds a claim for the unpaid taxes, interest, and costs, but the deed stays in your name, subject to that lien. You have not lost the house at the sale.

The three-year redemption window

Louisiana retained a three-year redemption window under the new system. Redemption is your right to clear the lien by paying the back taxes, interest, and costs, which removes the lien and settles the delinquency.

The earlier in that window you act, the more room you have to work with. The right to redeem does not last forever, so a property left unaddressed through the full period is a property at real risk. Acting while the window is open keeps your options open.

We are local home buyers, not attorneys, and this is not legal advice. For the exact deadlines and amounts on your property, check with the Caddo Parish tax collector or a Louisiana tax-sale attorney. We can talk through how a sale would fit alongside redemption.

Selling during the redemption window

Because you keep title under the tax-lien system, you can sell the Shreveport house during the redemption window. At closing, the lien is paid off out of the sale proceeds, the delinquency is cleared, and clean title passes to the buyer.

This is often a better outcome than letting the redemption period run out. A sale during redemption lets you resolve what is owed and walk away with whatever is left rather than risking the property to the lien over time. It turns a deadline into a decision you control.

How a direct sale handles the lien at closing

In a direct sale, the closing attorney orders the payoff figure for the tax lien from the Caddo Parish tax collector, just as they would order a mortgage payoff. The lien amount is paid from the proceeds at closing and released from the record, so the buyer receives clear title.

You do not need to clear the back taxes before reaching out. The whole point of handling it at closing is that the sale itself resolves the delinquency. We look at where your property sits in the timeline and tell you honestly what is realistic.

Frequently asked questions