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Preparation:
1) Review your property tax bill each year and examine all of the information listed on itwhen you receive it. Be sure to review the address, square footage, the lot size, number of rooms and when the property was built. Also, check the property appraisal value and note its accuracy. If the appropriate information is not listed on your tax bill, you can visit the local tax assessor’s website and/or call your local property tax assessor’s office to determine for your homes appraised value and any other information you may need.
2) Compare any listed tax exemptions that you may qualify for against what is actually listed on your tax bill, especially if you expect to receive any tax exemptions. Tax exemptions will vary by location, so visit your local tax assessor’s website and/or call their office to find out what the actual exemptions for your exact location are. Note any discrepancies or differences that you find for your presentation later on.
3) Examine property tax values or sales prices for similar homes in and around your neighborhood. This information can be obtained through a realtor and/or by using your local property tax assessor’s website or at their local office. Since property information is made public, this data will be available to you and all other property owners.
4) Analyze the appraised value of your property once you have the information of homes similar to yours and compare it to those properties you’ve researched. Note any sizable differences between these property tax values and prepare your evidence for presenting your case when challenging your property tax bill.When comparing similar properties to your property, make sure you compare all the items listed in step 1 and look for things assessed at a higher rate, such as number of rooms, square footage and so on. If your home is assessed at a higher rate and your property tax bill is higher in cost, then challenge your property tax bill. Also, consider hiring an independent appraiser to assess the value of your property to give you more supporting evidence for your case.
5) Decide if the difference with the appraised value of your home is significant enough for you to challenge your property tax bill (this amount is completely up to you) -- especially after reviewing similar properties. If you do decide that the difference is high enough for you to challenge the bill, then go ahead and contest your property taxes. Some owners will contest their bill if the difference is only a couple thousand dollars. But if you do find a discrepancy and/or error with your property tax bill, you should definitely contest your bill accordingly
Contesting your property taxes:
1) Locate the dates for which you can contest your property tax bill by reviewing your bill and looking for any dates listed for contesting. If this information is not listed on your property tax bill, you can call your local tax assessor’s office or visit their website to get this information.
2) Formal or informal reviews for your local jurisdiction may be allowed. If your area allows formal or informal reviews, you should schedule an appointment time with your local assessor first. Be sure to find out if any paperwork needs to be filled out for your formal review if an informal review is not allowed.
3) Prepare all of your collected documentation from the above steps to present for your case. Be sure to organize your documentation in an order that will allow you to present the most important details first, such as the information regarding your property and the comparable properties. The time for presenting your case is usually limited, so organization is very important when presenting your case. .
5) Wait patiently for any answers from your informal review to lower your property taxes. If you haven’t heard back from your informal request and the deadline is approaching quickly, then go ahead and file the formal request forms needed for your case. The property tax office should contact you with the date of your formal presentation case.
6) Arrive on time for the formal review… and do not be intimidated. Most areas have some type of an appraisal review board that you will present your case to accordingly. These boards are used to seeing all kinds of people, so you do not need to be a great public speaker to present your case/challenge. Your local tax assessor will also present the documentation used in your original property tax assessment. Be sure to be concise, respectful and professional with any and all meetings.
7) A property tax assessment challenge letter will be mailed when the challenge is approved, along with how much the tax bill has been lowered. If you are unhappy with their decision, you can appeal their ruling in some states by taking it to a district court. However, it is best to do this action under the guidance of a lawyer.
You should not be afraid of contesting your property tax bill or intimidated by the process. Each year, thousands of property owners challenge their tax bills successfully. But if you are still uncomfortable with this process for any reason, you can hire a professional property tax consultant or real estate agent to contest your property taxes for you.. You should find someone who charges you only if they are successful with your case.
