General Information
On an annual basis, your property’s assessment value changes as a result of the market sales in your neighborhood for residential properties and market sales and income for commercial properties. For residential properties, assessments and taxes typically vary property to property even when the properties are similar in size and location as a result of variances in ownership date, special assessments, homestead exemptions, and other county assessment caps. For commercial properties, values vary as a result of the above, along with variances in occupancy, income, rental rates, build outs, location, etc.
Once a petition with the County Value Adjustment Board has been filed, a hearing date will then be scheduled from the County Value Adjustment Board including the date in which all evidence to substantiate a reduction must be submitted to the County. We will complete an extensive analysis of your assessment and surrounding real estate markets to review all avenues of obtaining a property assessment reduction. If the review reveals the property is a good candidate for reduction, we will submit evidence and represent the owner at the set hearing.
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Do I need to send any additional information for my property review/appeal?
Yes, you will receive an information request from our office that we will need returned as soon as possible, as the information may be extremely important to the overall outcome of your appeal
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How long will the appeal process take?
The appeal process is lengthy with the appeal hearings beginning in October and typically run through April. As the County schedules the appeal hearing dates, we have no control as to the timetable of your specific appeal. Please feel free to contact our office at any time for a status of your appeal
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If your property assessment and taxes are reduced, how long will it take to receive the refund?
Most refunds will be in the form of a refund check payable to directly to you from the Tax Collectors office after the appeal decisions have concluded. The tax refund checks are typically mailed out within 30-60 days after the certification of the appeal decisions or between April & May. A small percentage of appeals (heard early in the process) may result in a decrease in taxes reflected in your November tax bill
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Do I have to attend the Value Adjustment Board Hearing or talk with the Property Appraisers Office?
No, we provide the evidence preparation and provide the hearing representation if necessary, depending on our assessment review conclusions. In the meantime, if the County Appraisers contacts you directly, please ask them to contact our office so we can discuss with them the case in detail.
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Should I pay my tax bill?
Yes, because:
A) You are entitled to a 4% discount for early property tax payment by November 30th
B) If we are successful in obtaining a property tax reduction for you, the county will:
Revise the unpaid Property Tax Bill and send you a new bill or
The county will issue you a refund either directly to you or to your escrow account if you have one. (If escrowed, you will need to request the refund from your escrow account.)If by March 31st you haven’t paid at least 75% of your Property Tax Bill, the county will:
Automatically deny your filed Property Tax Petition – if the case hasn’t come before the VAB for a hearing or
Automatically deny the decision from the VAB – if the case was already heard and your petition was approved for a reduction you will lose the tax savings
Our recommendation is to pay the full (100%) tax amount due prior to November 30th in order to receive the 4% discount for early payment. If we are successful, you will receive a refund check.