Hello,
As sheriff sales resume in Philadelphia, it has become increasingly apparent that after a year without such sales – and with them resuming in an online-only capacity – that a number of questions and misconceptions about the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office and its role in the foreclosure process have persisted. Most, if not all, of these questions can be answered by going to our FAQ page or watching the town halls we have conducted on our YouTube page.

Foreclosures
Since its founding in 1682, the Office of the Philadelphia Sheriff has been responsible for a wide range of duties – but it has never foreclosed on properties. The foreclosure process is a court process that can take years. The Sheriff’s Office is not involved in the foreclosure process. It executes the orders of the court to sell properties that have gone through the lengthy, multi-stage foreclosure process to arrive at the point of being put up for Sheriff Sale.

The Sheriff’s authority to conduct sales
The Sheriff’s Office Sheriff Sale process is controlled by and mandated by the Pennsylvania Rules of Civil Procedure for handling the properties pre-sale, in-sale and post-sale. The same rules that were in place for in-person sales will also be in place for online sales. The only thing that has changed about the sale process is that it will now be taking place online. Just as the other counties throughout the commonwealth have abided by these rules to restart their own Sheriff Sales without issue, the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office is committed to doing the same.

Thank you to the thousands of people who have participated in the Philadelphia Sheriff's Office's first town hall dedicated to the transition of Sheriff Sales to an online model – if you haven't seen it yet, click here to view.

So many excellent questions were asked during the town hall about all aspects of the Sheriff Sales that we have compiled them – and the answers – all here for quick reference. If you have a question that is not included in this list, please email Public Information Officer This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and he will get an answer for you. And please join us for the next town hall on March 29, 2021, at 1 p.m. This event will feature a hands-on demonstration of how online Sheriff Sales will work.

Philadelphia, PA – Sheriff Rochelle Bilal and the Office of the Philadelphia Sheriff announce that Sheriff Sales will resume virtually on April 6, 2021. 

Due to COVID-19 social distancing requirements necessary to protect bidders and employees, it has not been safe to hold in-person auctions. Following a detailed analysis of the available options, Sheriff Sales of foreclosed and tax lien properties will resume via online auctions. Until now, these sales, which are a result of mortgage foreclosures and money judgments, have been in-person auctions conducted by the Sheriff's Office.

The Office of the Sheriff has selected online auction company Bid4Assets (Bid4Assets.com) to produce the virtual sales. The company has significant experience successfully hosting online auctions and currently performs the same auction services in Pennsylvania for Montgomery, Bucks, Berks, Monroe, and Adams Counties.