Information about Tax Sale by Public Tenders

Municipal tax sales are governed by the Municipal Act, 2001.  This bulletin is intended for information purposes only.

A listing of properties to be sold by public tender will be advertised for four (4) consecutive weeks in the local newspaper, Cornwall Standard Freeholder as well as on the City’s website, www.cornwall.ca/taxsale.  The notice will also be published once in the Ontario Gazette during the four week notice period.

Important information before tendering

Decide how much you are willing to pay for the property.  Remember there may be others submitting a tender on the same property.  The highest tenderer will have an opportunity to buy the property if they are able to submit the balance of their tendered bid within the required 14 day period.  Failure to remit, the second highest tenderer will be given an opportunity to buy the property as only the two highest bids are retained by the municipality.

The City is not obliged to provide a survey or reference plan for any parcel of land being sold. 

The Treasurer is not obliged to inquire into the value of the land prior to conducting a sale nor is there any obligation to obtain fair market value for the land or to ensure that land being sold under tax sale may obtain fair market value at the same of the sale or in the future.

Prior to submitting a bid, the onus is on the potential bidder to conduct his/her own inquiries into such matters as zoning, work orders, access, building restrictions, title search, execution search, easements, etc.  The City makes no representation as to the quality and/or quantity of the land being sold, including any environmental concerns.

The City does not have the ability to conduct tours or provide access to the properties being sold.

The City is not required to provide vacant possession of any properties which may be occupied.  The City also does not have a key(s) to the property and therefore is not in a position to provide one to the successful purchaser. 

The following departments/agencies may be in a position to assist you in researching the property. There may be a fee associated with the information being requested.

• Zoning & Development Information – Dept. of Planning Services, 100 Water St E., 2nd Floor, Cornwall ON or 613-937-2787 ext. 2312
• Work Order Information – Building Permits & Bylaw Enforcement Division, 100 Water St E., 2nd Floor, Cornwall ON or 613-937-2787 ext. 2323
• Title and/or Writ of Execution Searches – Service Ontario, Stormont Land Registry Office, 720 14th ST W., Unit 2, Cornwall ON

Completing the Tender Form

• A Tender to Purchase form (Form 7) is to be completed by the person(s) tendering for the purchase of the land.
• A separate tender must be completed for each parcel bidding on in the prescribed form.
• The tender must be typed or legibly handwritten in ink.
• A minimum deposit of 20% of the amount of the tender being submitted must accompany the bid.

Sample Tender to Purchase (Form 7)

To:

Name: City of Cornwall
Address: 360 Pitt Street, Cornwall, ON K6H 5T9
613-930-2787 ext. 2315

Re:    Sale of:   Description of Property inserted here

I/we hereby tender to purchase the land described above for the amount of $XXX.00 (XXX dollars) in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Municipal Act, 2001 and the Municipal Tax Sales Rules.

I/we understand that this tender must be received by the Treasurer’s office not later than 3:00 pm local time on (insert date here) and that in the event of this tender being accepted, I/we shall be notified of its acceptance.

I/we enclose a deposit in the form of a certified cheque/bank draft/money order for the sum of $XXX.00 (XXX dollars) in favour of the City of Cornwall representing 20% or more of the tendered amount which will be forfeited if I/we are the successful tenderer(s) and I/we do not pay the balance of the tendered amount, any land transfer tax and any accumulated taxes within 14 days of notification that I/we are the highest tenderer.

This tender is submitted pursuant to the Municipal Act, 2001 and the Municipal Tax Sales Rules.

Dated at Cornwall, ON, this    xx th day of  xxxxx , 20__.

Name of tenderer, address of tenderer

Tender Envelope Information

An envelope template will be provided in the tax sale package as to how to address the envelope.  It is very important that the front of the envelope contains the words "take sale for" as a prefix before inserting a brief description or municipal address of the property to which the tender relates to.

Envelope to be addressed as follows:

Treasurer
City of Cornwall
360 Pitt Street
Cornwall, ON
K6H 5T9

A separate envelope, properly identified, is required for each property to which a tender is being submitted.

Envelope must be sealed when it is received by the Treasurer’s office.  Before sealing, ensure that the tender document is accurate together with the 20% deposit in the form of a money order, bank draft or certified cheque.

Fax and/or late submissions will not be accepted.

Withdrawal of Tendered Bid

If you chose to withdraw your submitted bid prior to the opening, a written request must be received by the Treasurer or designate before 3:00 pm on the last date for receiving tenders.  The written request may be sent by fax or email to expedite the withdrawal.

The withdrawn bid will be opened at the same time as the other bids and returned as per procedure.

Opening of Bids

The opening of the sealed bids will be carried out by the Treasurer in the presence of at least one other Finance department staff member.

Each tender document will be examined for completeness of content.

If two bids of equal amount are received, the person who submitted the earlier time stamped bid will be deemed to have the higher bid. (Note:  all tender envelopes are date and time stamped upon receipt by the Treasurer’s office).  The successful tender is the highest bidder who has submitted a properly completed tender and who makes payments, within 14 days of the mailing of the notice, the balance of the tendered amount, the applicable land transfer tax, and any accumulated taxes that may have come due since the initial advertising of the tax sale notice, plus any HST, if applicable, are paid into the office of the Treasurer.  Failure to remit the balance of the high bid within the mandated period, the deposit will be forfeited to the municipality.  The second highest tenderer will then be given an opportunity to purchase the property within the required timeframe.

All rejected bids together with the deposit will be returned to the tenderer by regular mail or in person at the opening if the tenderer is in attendance, upon conclusion of the sale.

Previous Tax Sales

3007 Pitt Street

(Did not sell — no bids received)

Description of Lands:

Con 3 Pt Lot 9

Municipally described as:
3007 Pitt St  Cornwall, On, K6K 1A5

PIN 60203-0026, Roll No. 0402 040 005 29600

2016 CVA:  $97,000

Minimum Tender Amount:  $225,021.34

3007 Pitt Street Information Sheet

3007 Pitt Street Envelope Details

Tax Sale Brochure

Tender to Purchase 3007 Pitt Street

1011 Larin Avenue

(Did not sell — no bids received)

Description of Lands:

1. PLAN 119 LOT 33 PT LOTS 31,32

Municipally described as:
1011 Larin Avenue, Cornwall ON, K6H 4C5

PIN 60189-0131, Roll No. 0402 030 004 00200

2016 CVA:  $134,000

Minimum Tender Amount:  $222,748.43

1011 Larin Avenue Information Sheet

1011 Larin Avenue Envelope Details

Tax Sale Brochure

Tender to Purchase 1011 Larin Avenue

52-54 Lennox Street

(Sold for $63,200)

Description of Lands:

Lot 92 Plan 16

Municipally described as:
52-54 Lennox Street, Cornwall, On, K6H 1H3

2016 CVA:  $46,500

Minimum Tender Amount:  $55,261.26

52-54 Lennox Street Information Sheet
52-54 Lennox Street Envelope Details
52-54 Lennox Street Tender to Purchase