Effective 28 Aug 2015

140.405. Purchaser of property at delinquent land tax auction, deed issued to, when — notice of right of redemption — redemption of property first, when — loss of interest, when — notice, authorized manner. — 1. Any person purchasing property at a delinquent land tax auction shall not acquire the deed to the real estate, as provided for in section 140.250 or 140.420, until the person meets the requirements of this section, except that such requirements shall not apply to post-third-year sales, which shall be conducted under subsection 4 of section 140.250. The purchaser shall obtain a title search report from a licensed attorney or licensed title company detailing the ownership and encumbrances on the property.

2. At least ninety days prior to the date when a purchaser is authorized to acquire the deed, the purchaser shall notify the owner of record and any person who holds a publicly recorded unreleased deed of trust, mortgage, lease, lien, judgment, or any other publicly recorded claim upon that real estate of such person's right to redeem the property. Notice shall be sent by both first class mail and certified mail return receipt requested to such person's last known available address. If the certified mail return receipt is returned signed, the first class mail notice is not returned, the first class mail notice is refused where noted by the United States Postal Service, or any combination thereof, notice shall be presumed received by the recipient. At the conclusion of the applicable redemption period, the purchaser shall make an affidavit in accordance with subsection 5 of this section.

3. If the owner of record or the holder of any other publicly recorded claim on the property intends to transfer ownership or execute any additional liens or encumbrances on the property, such owner shall first redeem such property under section 140.340. The failure to comply with redeeming the property first before executing any of such actions or agreements on the property shall require the owner of record or any other publicly recorded claim on the property to reimburse the purchaser for the total bid as recorded on the certificate of purchase and all the costs of the sale required in sections 140.150 to 140.405.

4. In the case that both the certified notice return receipt card is returned unsigned and the first class mail is returned for any reason except refusal, where the notice is returned undeliverable, then the purchaser shall attempt additional notice and certify in the purchaser's affidavit to the collector that such additional notice was attempted and by what means.

5. The purchaser shall notify the county collector by affidavit of the date that every required notice was sent to the owner of record and, if applicable, any other publicly recorded claim on the property. To the affidavit, the purchaser shall attach a copy of a valid title search report as described in subsection 1 of this section as well as completed copies of the following for each recipient:

(1) Notices of right to redeem sent by first class mail;

(2) Notices of right to redeem sent by certified mail;

(3) Addressed envelopes for all notices, as they appeared immediately before mailing;

(4) Certified mail receipt as it appeared upon its return; and

(5) Any returned regular mailed envelopes.

­­As provided in this section, at such time the purchaser notifies the collector by affidavit that all the ninety days' notice requirements of this section have been met, the purchaser is authorized to acquire the deed, provided that a collector's deed shall not be acquired before the expiration date of the redemption period as provided in section 140.340.

6. If any real estate is purchased at a third-offering tax auction and has a publicly recorded unreleased deed of trust, mortgage, lease, lien, judgment, or any other publicly recorded claim upon the real estate under this section, the purchaser of said property shall within forty-five days after the purchase at the sale notify such person of the person's right to redeem the property within ninety days from the postmark date on the notice. Notice shall be sent by both first class mail and certified mail return receipt requested to such person's last known available address. The purchaser shall notify the county collector by affidavit of the date the required notice was sent to the owner of record and, if applicable, the holder of any other publicly recorded claim on the property, that such person shall have ninety days to redeem said property or be forever barred from redeeming said property.

7. If the county collector chooses to have the title search done then the county collector may charge the purchaser the cost of the title search before giving the purchaser a deed pursuant to section 140.420.

8. Failure of the purchaser to comply with this section shall result in such purchaser's loss of all interest in the real estate except as otherwise provided in sections 140.550 and 140.570.

9. The phrase"authorized to acquire the deed" as used in this chapter shall mean the date chosen by the tax sale purchaser that is more than the minimum redemption period set forth in section 140.340 if the tax sale purchaser has complied with the following requirements entitling the purchaser to the issuance of a collector's deed:

(1) Compliance with the requirements of this section to the satisfaction of the collector;

(2) Payment of the recording fee for the collector's deed as required under section 140.410;

(3) Production of the original of the certificate of purchase as required under section 140.420, or production of an original affidavit of lost or destroyed certificate approved by the collector as to form and substance; and

(4) Payment of all subsequent taxes required to be paid under section 140.440.

10. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, any person except a minor or an incapacitated or disabled person may receive notice under this section in a foreign country or outside the United States:

(1) By any internationally agreed-upon means of service that is reasonably calculated to give notice, such as the Hague Convention on the Service Abroad of Judicial and Extrajudicial Documents;

(2) If there is no internationally agreed-upon means of service, or if an international agreement allows service but does not specify the means, by a method that is reasonably calculated to give notice;

(3) As set forth for the foreign country's acceptable method of service in actions in courts of general jurisdiction;

(4) As the foreign country directs in response to a letter of request;

(5) Unless prohibited by a foreign country's law, by delivering a copy of the notice to the person personally or using a form of mail that requires a signed receipt; or

(6) By any other means not prohibited by international agreement as approved by the collector.

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(L. 1984 S.B. 707, A.L. 1987 H.B. 283, A.L. 1996 H.B. 1469 merged with S.B. 914, A.L. 1998 S.B. 778, A.L. 2003 S.B. 295, A.L. 2010 H.B. 1316, A.L. 2013 H.B. 175 merged with S.B. 248, A.L. 2015 H.B. 613)