May the Fair market value be with you in an assessment appeal!
By John J. Iannozzi
Real Estate Tax Assessment Appeals Department Chair
In this economic climate every dollar counts! In this real estate market many residential, industrial, and commercial properties are over-assessed, resulting in unreasonably high tax bills. Accordingly, we would like to remind you of our ability to represent you in the pursuit of reducing your tax burden by filing an assessment appeal. The Annual Assessment Appeal deadline for properties located in Bucks or Montgomery County is August 1st. All counties within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania have a Board of Assessment Appeals Office. If your property is not located in Bucks or Montgomery County, please check with your respective County Board of Assessment Office to confirm the annual assessment appeal deadline for the property.
After an assessment appeal is filed with the County Board of Assessment Appeals a hearing date will be scheduled. The Assessment Office will notify you and the appropriate taxing authorities, by first-class mail, at least twenty (20) days prior to the hearing date. The Board of Assessment Appeals presides over the assessment hearing. At the hearing, the burden of proof rests with the Appellant to introduce evidence of the market value of the property appealed. This is often done by retaining an appraiser to produce an appraisal for the subject property under appeal. The real estate taxes you pay are based on the value assessed by the county in which your property is located. The higher the assessed value, the more in taxes you have to pay; the greater the reduction in value as a result of a successful assessment appeal, the greater the tax savings to you.
Our Real Estate Tax Assessment Department has been representing property owners for over forty years in successful tax assessment appeals. The law requires a “uniform” assessment rate for all properties. A “uniform” assessment means that all properties in the County in which the property is located, whether residential, commercial, or industrial, will be assessed by the County Board of Assessment Office at the same ratio to market value. If you are a property owner who feels that your property is over-assessed please contact us. Our Real Estate Tax Assessment Department also has a proven track record of successfully defending property owners from assessment appeals filed by School Districts.
If you are a property owner faced with high real estate taxes, please contact our office at (215) 661-0400 for a free consultation. As always, I thank you for your business. I look forward to working with you in the future. And may the fair market value be with you in an assessment appeal!