But in The Bronx, the number of first-time foreclosures has risen from 57 last year to 109 this year. Many foreclosures came from the northeast neighborhoods of The Bronx, including Williamsbridge, where 10 foreclosures happened in the past quarter. Queens saw a smaller increase, from 128 to 140, according to the report.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Bronx\u2019s figures are most worrying to experts because that borough has a much lower rate of homeownership than other boroughs do. In Queens, the homeownership rate is 45%, the highest in the city, but in The Bronx, it\u2019s 20%, the lowest.<\/p>\n
The uptick in Bronx foreclosures is likely to continue, as advocates warn of mounting debt and the added pressure of lien sales \u2014 currently under city review \u2014 that could make the situation worse.<\/p>\n
Part of the trend, experts say, is explained by the reemergence of foreclosure cases that have been stuck in a backlog left over from a pandemic-era state moratorium on foreclosures.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was quite sudden, the uplift in cases in The Bronx. We\u2019ve seen [foreclosures] grow more and more since 2022, after the moratorium was lifted,\u201d said Eliza Theiss, a researcher at PropertyShark.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She said foreclosure activity has yet to reach pre-pandemic levels, but is climbing.<\/p>\n
One major red flag worrying advocates who spoke with The City Reporter: a climb in tax liens, or debt claims. At the same time, a temporary pause of the city\u2019s tax lien sale \u2014 the public auction of homeowners\u2019 unpaid debt \u2014 has reignited a debate about whether the Mamdani administration should continue or abolish the practice.<\/p>\n
Other factors are exacerbating the trend in The Bronx, foreclosure prevention advocates say. The ongoing cost-of-living crisis and the end of federal assistance vouchers<\/a> \u2014 a Biden-era initiative meant to last through 2030 that was terminated under the Trump administration \u2014\u00a0have created a domino effect.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve definitely seen an uptick in individuals coming to us for help,\u201d said Martha De Jesus, director of Bronx Legal Services\u2019 Neighborhood Stabilization Project, which helps people navigate foreclosure litigation.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is the first time we\u2019re seeing the surge at full bend \u2026 so we are in the middle of the perfect storm of conditions in The Bronx,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n A Brewing Storm<\/p>\n Experts say the coming crisis is underscored by a major measure of distress for homeowners: getting hit with tax liens, a claim on a property that has debt.<\/p>\n While only two of the foreclosures in the PropertyShark report came from tax liens, over 3,400 of those were sold in The Bronx, according to De Jesus \u2014 a rise from previous years. She estimates thousands of homeowners may face foreclosure because they can\u2019t afford to pay down their debt.<\/p>\n Gladstone Johnson, executive director of Bronx Neighborhood Housing Services, said he is seeing a huge uptick in notices of default. The city contracts with his organization to do outreach to residents at risk of foreclosure before their cases snowball.\u00a0<\/p>\n Johnson regularly receives from the city\u2019s Department of Finance a list of people who have notices of default against their home. The number of contacts on the list has grown \u201csubstantially\u201d between last year and now, he said, from around 4,000 Bronx residents to over 5,000.\u00a0<\/p>\n While around half of those residents were able to pay off their debt with BNHS\u2019 alert, Johnson said the city-funded grant for the organization\u2019s outreach program is insufficient, considering the growing list of names.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is the largest amount I\u2019ve seen in the three years I\u2019ve been here,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The Tax Lien Debate<\/p>\n Amid rising foreclosures in The Bronx is a debate about how the city should handle those with tax liens on their homes.<\/p>\n Starting in the Giuliani administration, the city previously held a tax lien sale each year where homeowners\u2019 property and water bill debts are sold to private investor-backed trusts, which attempt to collect the debt while charging homeowners additional fees and interest.<\/p>\n
![\"Residential](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/072726_bronx_foreclosures.jpg\")
Home foreclosures have doubled in The Bronx, especially in the borough\u2019s northeast neighborhoods, July 27, 2026. Credit: Ben Fractenberg\/The City Reporte<\/p>\n