AN unexpected letter demanding payment of unpaid property taxes forced a woman and her family of seven to leave their home, but years later it turned out to be wrong.
Sonja Bonnett of Detroit, Michigan, was told by the city that she owed $5,000 between 2012 and 2013.
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Bonnett and her family had no choice but to leave home in 2017.
She signed an agreement to work as the property owner in 2011 and thought she was paying taxes monthly.
“One day I get a letter in the mail saying I have a $5,000 tax debt,” Bonnett said. ABC news in 2022.
The $5,000 bill was too expensive for Bonnett, and his family’s dream of making the house their forever home faded.
However, a 2020 Detroit News investigation estimated that Detroit residents were overcharged by $600 million between 2010 and 2016, according to the news outlet. reported.
The new agency believes Bonnett’s former home was overcharged by $1,500 in the years she received the bill.
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Alvin Horhn, deputy CFO and advisor to the city of Detroit, admitted that the city had property tax problems
“There is no question that the city has lost control of its assessment,” Horhn told ABC News.
“There are 400,000 properties in the city of Detroit, more than 200,000 homes.
“I would never tell anyone that every one of them is evaluated correctly, but that’s why we have a review.”
Horh said many homes in Detroit were being overvalued, driving up taxes too much.
“There are no systemic overvaluations in this city,” Horh added.
If I told you that 95% of the assessment list is correct, that would still be 5% [or] 20,000 homes that could be overvalued.”
While Bonnettt may not owe as much property tax, she’s still bitter about losing her home years later.
Bonnett was extremely hurt at having to move abruptly because of the letter.
The trauma of losing my house and the way I lost it killed a lot of how I felt about the neighborhood and the house. But I still care about people.
Sonja Bonnet
“The trauma of losing the house and the way I lost it killed a lot of how I felt about the neighborhood and the house,” Bonnett said.
“But I still care about people.”
It’s not uncommon for people to be forced to move abruptly due to unexpected bills.
In another situation, a homeowner was told by their HOA that they must evacuate their home for an unknown reason.
One veteran said he may have to leave the home he owned for 23 years because of a $3,500 bill.
The US Sun has reached out to Detroit for comment.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
