Richmond to revise standards after property tax bill mishap impacts thousands
VENN
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- As of Tuesday, Richmond's Department of Finance is still working to send out property tax bills to mortgage lenders to fix an error impacting thousands of residents.
The 2025 Second Half Real Estate Tax Bills were issued to residents earlier this May by the Department of Finance. These bills reflect the correct amounts owed -- but for taxpayers with mortgages, they’re usually sent directly to lenders for payment. The City does not typically issue duplicate copies.
About 33,000 residents who would not normally receive such bills for reasons described above got them, instead, due to errors with the department's Standard Operating Procedures (SOP).
As of Tuesday, May 20, the city continues to work to ensure mortgage lenders receive real estate property tax bills they were meant to receive. Once the lenders receive the bill, the payment is usually remitted to the City of Richmond in one business week.
“I have directed the Department of Finance to revise its SOPs and am personally spending time with staff inside the Department of Finance to understand the breakdowns that occurred,” said Mayor Danny Avula in a press release. “In addition, I plan to bring in an expert to support change management and improve communication to prevent this type of issue from happening again. Taxpayers were confused and frustrated, and I am committed to finding and fixing the problems within City Hall.”
Here's what you should do with your bill in the wake of these errors.
For residents who usually receive property tax bills by mail:
- Pay your bill by the June 16 due date.
- If you have already paid, keep the bill for records.
For residents who usually do not receive property tax bills by mail:
- If you haven't paid the bill yet, there is nothing to do. Usually, it takes a few weeks for the lender to pay the bill -- check with the lender to verify.
- If you have already paid the bill, the Department of Finance will credit your account. In addition, if the lender pays the current year's bill, you can call RVA 311 to request a refund.
