Legal Aid DC, with pro bono support from Miller & Chevalier, assisted residents whose homes were at risk of foreclosure because of unpaid DC property taxes through a targeted legal clinic held on June 3.

The clinic aimed to help homeowners avoid the annual property tax sale. The District holds an auction each July to sell tax liens on properties with unpaid taxes totaling $2,500 or more. The consequences of that sale can be devastating.  

“If a homeowner accidentally misses a payment on time, they risk losing the home they’ve had for generations,” said Johanna Schmidt, the Supervising Attorney in the Consumer Law Unit. “This clinic was needed for building and generating generational wealth, as well as preventing accidental losses.”

In many cases, a home has been in the family for generations and is paid off, so the property taxes are no longer being covered automatically as part of mortgage payments. Mounting property tax debt can take homeowners by surprise, especially if they inherited the home. And for some residents, especially elderly homeowners, a fixed income makes it hard to afford property taxes.

But homeowners have options they’re often not aware of, and that’s how the clinic came together.

“Once a property enters the tax sale process, getting it back can be costly and difficult, so prevention is critical,” said Sylvia Soltis, Director of Legal Aid DC’s Pro Bono Program. “This clinic reflects Legal Aid’s commitment to providing timely, preventative support to homeowners at risk. We were thrilled to launch our first pro bono clinic alongside our longtime partner, Miller & Chevalier, and deeply appreciate their years of support for our organization and the clients we serve.”

Homeowners Receive One‑on‑One Support

On the day of the clinic, homeowners came to Legal Aid’s downtown office and sat down with a trained Miller & Chevalier pro bono attorney to work through a plan to protect their homes.  

Some homeowners, with the support of pro bono attorneys, were able to file for an automatic forbearance, which the District grants to those owing less than $7,500 in property taxes. Others submitted letters for discretionary forbearance, requested payment plans, applied for property tax deductions, or worked with Legal Aid on other solutions that made sense for their more complex circumstances.

One homeowner came to the clinic after falling behind on taxes for the family home she had lived in her entire life. After her parents passed away, she struggled to keep up with the property taxes and feared losing the house altogether. Legal Aid helped her secure a discretionary forbearance and worked with her to develop a plan to transfer the home into her name, allowing her to retain ownership and reduce her tax burden moving forward.

By the end of the day, pro bono attorneys had helped nine homeowners. Legal Aid continued assisting homeowners after the clinic and increased the total number served to 23 by the June 15 deadline for changes to the tax sale list. Through the clinic and follow-up representation, Legal Aid helped twice as many DC homeowners as it had in all of 2025.  

Targeted Outreach to Prevent Home Loss

Early intervention is crucial to preventing the accumulation of interest and added legal fees. In many cases, homeowners also had to pay the opposing side’s attorney fees. The sooner people knew they were on the tax sale list, the sooner they could take steps to avoid escalating costs.

“There is a gap between people who are aware of what the tax sale means and those who know where to find help,” said Breanne Palmer, Director of Policy Advocacy. “Outreach about the clinic could help bridge this gap and connect people with the support they need.”

Once the District’s Office of Tax and Revenue released the list of homeowners at risk of property tax foreclosure, Legal Aid DC began its outreach.

Letters were sent encouraging individuals on the list to call a dedicated Legal Aid number, or if they were over 60, to contact Legal Counsel for the Elderly, a longtime partner in Legal Aid’s foreclosure prevention work. Legal Aid focused its efforts on homeowners with the property tax discount called the Homestead Property Tax Deduction.  

Wider public outreach targeted ZIP codes flagged by Legal Aid’s policy team as having high concentrations of affected homeowners. Flyers were posted in community centers, grocery stores, and other high-traffic locations. Social media graphics were shared across Legal Aid’s platforms to broaden reach. Legal Aid also collaborated with the DC Council and Advisory Neighborhood Commissions to distribute information to constituents through newsletters and social media.

“It took a large team to complete all the outreach, and they devoted significant time to this project,” Breanne said. “We couldn’t have done it without the volunteers who stepped up to help.”