How to Appeal Property Taxes

While being a homeowner comes with many benefits, most homeowners don’t particularly like paying too much for property taxes. Over the past few years, many homeowners have seen their property taxes increase and have continued paying them.

But you don’t have to accept your property taxes as they are. If they don’t seem right to you, you can appeal them. Here are the steps you need to take to appeal your property taxes:

1) Gather the information about how much your home has been assessed for by your tax assessor’s office.

Your assessment information is usually sent to you through the mail each year with your property taxes. You can also get the information from the tax assessor’s office. If the amount your home has been assessed for seems too high, then you should prepare to appeal your assessment and property taxes.

2) Get your property’s record from your assessor’s office and ensure that it is correct.

Once you have the property record, ensure that the information is correct, particularly when it comes to the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, your square footage, and how many cars your garage can hold.

You’ll also want to check to make sure that your home’s assessed value aligns with what comparable homes are selling for in your neighborhood. If any of the numbers are off, you can appeal the assessment because there are errors.

3) File the appeal with the assessor’s office and ask for a new assessment.

The way to do this will depend on your local tax assessor’s office, and there will typically be a fee associated with the new assessment. If the assessment comes back with the correct numbers, your home will likely be assessed for a lower rate. If the assessment doesn’t reflect what you think it should, you can work with a lawyer.

If you have any questions about property taxes, just contact us and we'll get your questions answered.