In the past, I chose to pay my property taxes separate from the mortgage. Meaning I did not put taxes in escrow with the bank. If some unforeseen event occured and money got tight, I could slide on the taxes for a few years but still be current with my mort lender. A lender could probably foreclose in 6 months but if you didn't pay your taxes, you have a few years. I don't know how the mort/tax payments are applied if you're late.