New program to help some Cincinnati homeowners with property tax debt relief

CINCINNATI — For families and homeowners who owe thousands in unpaid property taxes, help may be on the way — and it may be time to check your mailbox.

Mayor Aftab Pureval, alongside Hamilton County Treasurer Jill Schiller, the Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority and housing advocates, announced a new property tax relief program Monday morning.

“This is our way of being proactive, of getting and rushing help where it’s really, really needed at this moment,” Pureval said.

The Port described the program as a “one-time opportunity to relieve delinquent property taxes” for eligible homeowners. Approximately 250 eligible homeowners are set to be informed by mail over the coming days and weeks.

The criteria for those eligible include:

• Must reside in the City of Cincinnati
• Live in an owner-occupied single or two-family home
• Home must have a market value of $100,000 or less
• Owe $10,000 or less in delinquent property taxes as of July 2025

The program is being supported by a $250,000 allocation from the city’s fiscal year 2026-2027 budget, according to the Port.

Spokespersons from both the Port and Hamilton County’s Treasurer’s Office said eligible households were identified, and only those who receive a letter informing them of the program can apply.

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“We’re using the tools that we have in our disposal to help our most vulnerable,” Schiller said.

Once a homeowner receives that letter, they must contact Working in Neighborhoods (WIN) to fill out an application and complete the organization’s free financial counseling.

The treasurer’s office told me 170 letters were sent out on Monday, and approximately 80 more will be sent out later this week.

You can read the letter below:

Cincinnati Property Tax Relief Program Letter by webeditors

I spoke with Sister Barbara Busch, WIN’s executive director, to learn more about the financial coaching these 200+ homeowners will go through during the debt relief program.

“We’ll try to help them build a budget that works for them, find all the little things that might help them financially along the way. And then that will allow them, once they start paying forward, it will allow them to be able to lose the taxes, to get rid of all the delinquent back taxes,” Busch said.

The letter sent to local homeowners informs them that they must reach out to WIN at (513) 541-4109 ext. 138 no later than Monday, Sept. 15.

A spokesman from Schiller’s office said that this is the only property tax debt assistance program for now.

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