Challenging Property Tax Assessments

The assessment placed on a piece of property is the value that will be used to determine how much property tax will be owed.

Many times the assessment is placed on the property in the first part of the year and statements are mailed to property owners with bold printing that says "This is not a bill." Unfortunately, since it doesn't require action, many property owners don't give it the attention it deserves.

Usually, there is a deadline for the assessment to be challenged. After that time, it is set for the year and the property taxes according to their rates.

Correcting an assessment is a simple matter and doesn't require the services of a specialist. The first step is to discuss it with the assessor's office. Many times, clarifications can be made on this initial phone call.

The next step is to make an appeal to the local board that is set up to hear disagreements. The board is made up of local citizens. Both the taxpayer and the assessor's office will get to tell their reasons for valuation.

The property owner should have as much evidence to support the claim as possible. An independent appraisal is an excellent piece of data to have. However, if you have comparables of recent sales with documented facts, it will usually carry as much weight.

If the property has detiorated, pictures can be valuable to show its present condition.

There are certain arguments that carry more weight in getting a lower assessment such as incorrect information on the assessment like square footage or age. If the house has detiorated significantly, or there has been a general drop in prices, this could adversely affect the value.

Simply saying the property is too high and you couldn't sell it for that will generally not have much consideration. Neither will saying that it hasn't been revalued lately or that an unfair comparison was made.

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