Form RP-953-ATT: Request for Mailing of Duplicate Tax Bills to a Third Party Explained

Form RP-953-ATT is a New York State property tax form used when someone other than the property owner needs to receive copies of tax bills or statements of unpaid taxes. It’s issued by the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance’s Office of Real Property Tax Services (ORPTS) and is typically attached to the main Form RP-953, which is the broader application for duplicate tax bill mailings.

The purpose of this attachment form is straightforward: property owners, mortgage lenders, tax servicing companies, and other authorized parties sometimes need duplicate tax bills mailed directly to a third party instead of, or in addition to, the property owner. This is common when a mortgage company handles escrow payments for taxes, when a property management firm oversees multiple parcels, or when a tax representative needs to monitor payment status on behalf of a client.

Who Needs This Form

Several groups typically rely on RP-953-ATT:

• Mortgage lenders and loan servicers who pay property taxes through an escrow account and need to confirm bills are accurate and current
• Property management companies overseeing rental units or commercial buildings for absentee owners
• Tax preparation firms or attorneys tracking unpaid tax statements for clients involved in real estate transactions
• Title companies conducting due diligence before closing on a property sale
• Property owners who simply want a trusted third party, such as an accountant or family member, to also receive copies of their tax bills

Local assessors and tax collectors use the information submitted on this form to update their mailing records so that duplicate bills or delinquency notices go out automatically each billing cycle, without the requesting party having to ask again every year.

When It’s Used

This form is generally submitted at the start of a mortgage servicing relationship, when a property management contract begins, or whenever a real estate transaction requires a third party to monitor a property’s tax status. It’s also used when there’s a change in servicer, such as when a mortgage is sold or transferred to a new lender, requiring the mailing address on file with the local tax office to be updated.

Unlike some real property tax forms tied to a strict annual filing window, such as Form RP-7141 for complaints on tentative special franchise values, RP-953-ATT can generally be filed whenever the need arises, since it’s an administrative request rather than a formal appeal or challenge.

How to Get and Fill Out the Form

Form RP-953-ATT is available directly from the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance website as a fillable PDF. Because it has AcroForm fields, you can complete it on your computer using Adobe Acrobat Reader or similar software before printing, rather than filling it out by hand.

When completing the form, you’ll typically need to provide:

• The property owner’s name and the parcel’s tax map identification number
• The full mailing address of the third party requesting duplicate bills
• Contact information for the requesting party, including a phone number or reference number used by mortgage or servicing companies
• A signature authorizing the request, in most cases from the property owner or an authorized representative

Once completed, the form is submitted to the local assessor’s office or tax receiver in the municipality where the property is located, not to the state tax department directly, since local jurisdictions maintain their own tax bill mailing lists. Processing times vary by county, so it’s worth confirming with the local office how long it takes before the change takes effect.

If your organization also handles bulk property data submissions, you may find it useful to review Form RP-6800 on transmittal tape and diskette information reporting, which deals with how larger data sets get transferred to assessment offices. Similarly, businesses working with specialized property types might want to check Form RP-7019 for oil and gas economic profiles, another ORPTS form relevant to specific property tax reporting needs.

Keeping this form updated is a small administrative task, but it prevents missed payments, avoids late penalties, and keeps everyone with a financial stake in the property informed about its tax status.