To our Clients and Friends, this is a reminder that the Honduran Property Taxes are due by the end of August. Check your calendar to make sure said date doesn’t fall on a weekend; and if so, the due date becomes the last Friday in August.
If you missed our Post at the beginning of the year about the 10% early payment discount on the current-year property taxes that expires every April 30th, please be mindful that as of May 1st the incentive is no longer available, hence your taxes may differ from previous year. Nonetheless, by paying on or before August 31st you avoid late fees and penalties of 2% monthly (24% yearly) that will be added to your bill after said date and continue accruing until paid.
Also, we recommend not waiting until the very last day to pay, if possible. Otherwise, you run the risk of being there for hours due to long lines and people overcrowding the small areas ─ yes we all love to procrastinate.
What to take when going to pay?
1) The previous year receipt (or last receipt you have). It has all the pertinent info needed for the Muni to identify the property and create the new receipt for payment. It also serves as proof of payment should there be any issues within the system. While the Municipalities systems are now computerized, we all know that even electronic systems aren’t fail proof. This isn’t always the case ─ and as of late has become less and less of an issue ─ but it’s best to be safe than sorry.
2) If you want to be one hundred percent on the safe side, take a copy of your title ─ or at the very minimum have it available on your phone or another electronic device, via email or already downloaded at the ready – for any issues that could arise such as verifying name or size of the property.
3) Form of payment. The Municipality of Roatan accepts cash and credit cards (Visa and MasterCard). But the Municipality of Santos Guardiola only accepts cash. Neither Municipality takes regular or foreign checks, only certified checks from a Honduran Bank.
Before you leave the Municipality’s office, PLEASE CHECK YOUR RECEIPT(S) for possible errors.
When reviewing your receipt, make sure of the following:
1) Name matches your title document.
2) The Cadastral Number (Clave Catastral) is correct.
3) The area/size of the property matches your title doc. as well.
4) The year(s) paid.
Do you need assistance with paying your taxes?
Century 21 Roatan Real Estate provides the service for a small fee (limited to properties located on the Island of Roatan). Please contact us via our website’s “Contact Us” Form and we will gladly assist you. We kindly ask that you reach out to us at your earliest convenience, and with enough time taking into consideration the following: A tax quote must be obtained, and then funds sent to us and received in Honduras in order to proceed. The process can take from ten (10) days to over a month depending on payment method (wire transfer which is the quickest and most efficient way; or mailing and clearing of check).
Our clients are important to us, and it’s our goal to make your Caribbean Real Estate experience as easy and stress-free as possible.
