The rumor is true! The San Diego County Tax Assessor’s office is allowing homeowner’s who feel that the recorded assessed value of their home is no longer accurate to appeal for tax relief!
This is how it works - if you believe the value of your home has decreased from the value the Assessor has on file, you are able to petition to the assessor’s office for a recalculation of taxes owed on your home.
It is not an automatic approval by the assessor, and it does require some groundwork by the homeowner - even if you think you will win the appeal PAY your taxes on time and the amount requested unless you hear otherwise from the Assessor’s office - they still expect you to pay what they have requested on time!
The Assessor’s website doesn’t make it easy to find out how to do it but we’ll give you the steps to get there here:
• Go to the County Tax Assessor’s website
• On the left side of the page click on the “Forms” link and choose the “Reappraisals” option
• You will then select from the center of the page the link for Application for Changed Assessment Instructions and Form (Assessment Appeals)
• A new page will open called Assessment Appeals Board where you can find all relative information and forms that you will need to make your appeal.
• Remember to still pay your taxes on time even if making an appeal.
Written by Shawn McDonald
11 responses so far ↓
1 J. Jesus Ruiz // Dec 14, 2007 at 12:08 pm
Wow. this is excellent thanks for posting this. I’m going to get right on this. nice blog.
2 John // Jan 15, 2008 at 6:50 pm
Theres a company I am going to have do my property tax appeal. http://www.cataxrefunds.com
Seemed pretty reasonable, there are local in San Diego & they have appraisers that work the case for you.
Has anyone ever used a service before?
3 Shawn McDonald // Jan 17, 2008 at 10:56 am
John ~ Thank you for the information about the property tax appeal company. Our team has not used them. Be sure to let us know how your appeal goes, we’d love an update.
4 michael // Jan 24, 2008 at 2:52 pm
Actually, I decided to use a service to do this for me, and I’m pleased. There is an effort required, and might as well deal with knowledgeable folks. Here is the link I found, and I enjoy your blog!
http://sandiegohomerescue.wordpress.com/2008/01/24/property-tax-relief/
5 Shawn McDonald // Feb 6, 2008 at 5:47 pm
Michael ~ Thanks for sharing with us the company that you will be working with! If you have time, please follow up with us and let us know how your property tax appeal went…. I am happy to hear that you enjoy our blog, thanks for the kudos!
6 Scott // Feb 25, 2008 at 5:47 pm
I used the guys at California Tax Refunds as well. They got my assesed value down about $138K. Expecting a check back for $1725 or so & even a bigger reduction for the future, since they refile a review for the next tax year.
I knew I could do it on my own but didn’t know how or really have the time. Best money I have ever spent.
7 Sabrina Gooden // Feb 25, 2008 at 6:17 pm
I am a Mortgage Expert for Lanoiger Lending. California Tax Refunds are the only ones I refer my clients to. Not only do they provide exceptional service for the tax refunds but if you ever need an appraiser to get the job done , Jason Scheiner comes highly recommended. The customer service they provide is excellent and you won’t be disappointed.
8 marlene allen // Mar 28, 2008 at 11:05 am
Shot in the dark, but does anyone do the property tax reassessment free??
9 Shawn McDonald // Mar 28, 2008 at 11:57 am
Hi Marlene! Gosh wouldn’t that be nice? Not that we know of, but perhaps one of our readers may know of something. Be sure to let us know should you find anything out. Best Wishes!
10 Jason // Mar 28, 2008 at 3:09 pm
Some of my clients told me they posted and some people had some questions on this blog site so I thought I would give some info.
Marlene, unfortunately anyone that does the paperwork for you is going to ask for a fee. And depending on the fee may depend on how much work they will do for you.
The same way you have an accountant or CPA do your taxes. You can do them on your own but you hire a professional to make sure they maximize the refund your entitled to.
You can do appeals on your own, but most likely a company like ours will be much more successful since this is “what we do” all the time.
Also please be careful if you pick a company. This business is not regulated so you have many non-qualified people doing this. At California Tax Refunds, all applications are review by licensed California appraisers. We already have a proven track record of successful refunds for clients, and we are BBB accredited.
I would be more than happy to answer any other questions anyone may have.
11 Jason // Apr 8, 2008 at 1:56 pm
Here is some more info that was published in the San Diego Business Journal yesterday.
http://www.sdbj.com/article.asp?aID=123787&link=perm
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