Protest - Deadline for Filing?
Protest - I Already Filed Mine
Hearing Date - I'm Already Scheduled
Notice - I Received No Value Notice from
Appraisal District
Email Address - Why Do You Need It?
Form - Appointment of Agent
Form – Representation Agreement
Agency Relationship - What Is It?
Mortgages - Who Notifies My Mortgage
Company?
Mortgages - Will My Monthly Payments
Be Reduced?
Addresses - Address of My Appraisal
Review Board
Ten Percent Limitation – How Does It
Work?
Inequality of Appraisal Can Save You
Money!
Do You Go to the Appraisal Review Board
in Every Case?
Protest - Deadline
for Filing?
The deadline for most counties is May 31 or thirty (30) days after your
Notice of Proposed Value was mailed by your Central Appraisal District,
whichever comes later. Some Central Appraisal Districts have later filing
deadlines if they mailed their Notices after May 1.
Protest - I Already Filed
Mine
We will represent you even though you filed your own application to
the Central Appraisal District if you tell us you already filed and
then fax us your Hearing Notice as soon as it arrives. We need the full
15 days’ notice that is provided by law.
Hearing Date - I'm Already
Scheduled for the Appraisal Review Board
We will represent you at the Appraisal Review Board even though you
filed your own application if you fax us your Hearing Notice at least
15 days prior to your scheduled appearance date. We may appear on your
behalf by affidavit rather than in person.
Notice - I Received No Value
Notice from my Central Appraisal District
If you received no Value Notice from the Central Appraisal District
you may not have an increased value this year or the Value Notice may
have been misdirected. If you have no increased value this year your
last year's value may nevertheless qualify for reduction under Value
Above Market, Inequality of Appraisal or the 10% Limitation on Appraised
Value.
Email Address - Why Do You
Need It?
We need your e mail address because that's how we communicate with you
during the protest season and beyond. But we do not sell your e mail
address to third parties. We may use your e mail address to communicate
with you regarding events that affect your property taxes. You can opt
out of these notices simply by sending us an e mail notice that you
want to opt out.
Form - Appointment of Agent
We need your signed Appointment of Agent form before we can appear on
your behalf before the Central Appraisal District or the Appraisal Review
Board. But we do not need it before filing your protest. Please fax
it to us at your earliest convenience.
Form - Representation Agreement
We need your Representation Agreement before we will appear on your
behalf before the Central Appraisal District or the Appraisal Review
Board. But we do not need it before filing your protest. Please fax
it to us at your earliest convenience.
Agency Relationship - What
Is It?
We act as your agent for the limited purpose of representing you before
the Central Appraisal District or the Appraisal Review Board. We do
not represent you in any other capacity than that. We have the authority
to negotiate and resolve disputed tax issues. This includes the authority
to accept theCentral Appraisal District’s Proposed Value if the evidence
supports doing so or to accept a compromise value at the informal of
Central Appraisal District level without going to the Appraisal Review
Board.
Mortgages - Who Notifies
My Mortgage Company?
You must notify your mortgage company of your reduction if you want
your monthly escrow payments reduced. As evidence of the reduction you
can copy the relevant page from your Central Appraisal District's web
site or you can request a certified copy of your appraisal record from
your CAD.
Mortgages - Will My Monthly
Payments Be Reduced?
Each mortgage company has its own procedures. Many do not reduce your
monthly payment but credit your excess escrow account to your principal
in January when tax payments are made. You may want to correspond with
your mortgage company to make sure your savings go to reduce either
this year's or next year's monthly payments rather than to principal
reduction.
Addresses - What is the
address of My Central Appraisal District and Appraisal Review Board?
Your Appraisal Review Board can be addressed care of your Central Appraisal
District.
Harris County Appraisal District Box 920975 Houston, Texas 77292-0975
Phone : 713-957-5291
Dallas Central Appraisal District 2949 N Stemmons Fwy Dallas, Texas
75247-6195 Phone : 214-631-0520
Tarrant Central Appraisal District 2500 Handley-Ederville Road Fort
Worth, Texas 76118-6909 Phone 817-284-0024
Travis Central Appraisal District Mailing Address : Box 149012 Austin,
Texas 78714-9012 Phone : 512-834-9317
Bexar Central Appraisal District Mailing Address : Box 830248 San Antonio,
Texas 78283-0248 Phone : 210-224-8511
Collin Central Appraisal District 250 W. Eldorado Pkwy, McKinney, Texas
75069
Phone : 469-742-9200
Denton Central Appraisal District Box 2816 Denton, Texas 76202-2816
Phone : 940-566-0904
Fort Bend Central Appraisal District Mailing Address : 2801-B F Terry
Blvd . Rosenberg, Texas 77471-5600 Phone : 281-344-8623
Williamson Central Appraisal District Mailing Address : Box 1120 Georgetown,
Texas 78627-1120 Phone : 512-930-3787
Galveston Central Appraisal District Mailing Address : Box 3647 Texas
City, Texas 77592-3647 Phone : 409-935-1980
El Paso Central Appraisal District Mailing Address : 5801 Trowbridge
El Paso, Texas 79925 Phone : 915-780-2000
Montgomery Central Appraisal District Mailing Address : Box 2233 Conroe,
Texas 77305-2233 Phone : 409-756-3354
Comal Central Appraisal District Mailing Address : Box 311222 New Braunfels,
Texas 78131-1222 Phone : 830-625-8597
Hays Central Appraisal District Mailing Address : 21001 N. IH-35 Kyle,
Texas 78640-9998 Phone : 512-268-2522
Ellis Central Appraisal District Mailing Address : Box 878 Waxahachie,
Texas 75165-0878 Phone : 972-937-3552
Johnson Central Appraisal District Mailing Address : 109 N. Main St.
Cleburne, Texas 76031-4941 Phone : 817-558-8100
Guadalupe Central Appraisal District Mailing Address : 3000 N Austin
St Seguin, Texas 78155-7397 Phone : 830-372-2871
Rockwall Central Appraisal District Mailing Address : 841 Justin Rd.
Rockwall, Texas 75087 Phone : 972-771-2034
Parker Central Appraisal District Mailing Address : 118 W. Columbia
St. Weatherford, Texas 76086-4312 Phone : 817-599-7671
Kendall Central Appraisal District Mailing Address : Box 788 Boerne,
Texas 78006-0788 Phone : 210-249-8012
Hood Central Appraisal District Mailing Address : Box 819 Granbury,
Texas 76048-0819 Phone : 817-573-2471
Kaufman Central Appraisal District Mailing Address : Box 819 Kaufman,
Texas 75142-0819 Phone : 972-932-6081
Ten Percent Limitation
on Annual Increases in Value
If your homestead’s market value increase exceeds ten percent of last
year’s assessed (or taxable) value we’ll advise you of your rights under
Section 23.23(a) of the Texas Property Tax Code. Under the provisions
of Section 23.23(a) your taxable value may be less than the market value
of your home.Section 23.23, Texas Property Tax Code, titled “Limitation
on Appraised Value of Residence Homestead” states (a) The appraised
value of a residence homestead for a tax year may not exceed the lesser
of:(1) the market value of the property; or(2) the sum ofa. 10 percent
of the appraised value of the property for the last year in which the
property was appraised for taxation times the number of years since
the property was last appraised;b. the appraised value of the property
for the last year in which the property was appraised; andc. the market
value of all new improvements to the property.(c)The limitation provided
by Subsection (a) takes effect as to a residence homestead on January
1 of the tax year following the first tax year the owner qualifies the
property for (a homestead) exemption…The limitation expires on January
1 of the first tax year that neither the owner of the property when
the limitation took effect or the owner’s spouse or surviving spouse
qualifies for an exemption under (homestead).”
Inequality of Appraisal
Can Save You Money!
If your home is assessed at 100% of market but your neighbors are assessed
at 90%, then you are entitled to a 10% reduction.Your reduction could
put your value below market!Section 41.43 of the Texas Property Tax
Code (“Inequality of Appraisal”) says your "appraisal ratio” need
be higher only than "the median level" of "a reasonable
sample" the others. So if the median level of all the others is
90% of market - half are above and half are below -- then you are entitled
to a 10% reduction. If, for example, the protesting taxpayer's appraisal
is $200,000 (perhaps because the taxpayer recently purchased the property
for that price) but the median appraisal ratio of others is 90%, then
Property Tax Protest will fight for a $20,000 reduction. The resulting
value may be less than your recent cost.Similarly, a mansion in a neighborhood
of less expensive homes may claim that its assessment ratio should be
no higher than the median of all in its subdivision. A property in Dallas
purchased for $10,000,000 had a Proposed Value of $7,100,000 the next
year reduced to $2,100,000 based largely on Inequality of Appraisal.
Texas courts have held that where a conflict exists between Value Above
Market and Inequality of Appraisal, Inequality prevails. In other words,
a proposed assessment that is already below market can be further reduced
if it is unequal.
Do You Go to the Appraisal
Review Board in Every Case?
In most cases we will first go to an informal hearing at the Central
Appraisal District and determine (1) what the Central Appraisal District’s
argument is for its value and (2) whether we can reach a compromise
settlement at that informal meeting. If we can reach a settlement that
we feel is supported by the evidence and would be as good as we could
get from the Appraisal Review Board, we will settle your case at the
Central Appraisal District informal hearing level.If we feel we can
do better by going to the Appraisal Review Board we will do that. However,
in some cases – such as where the Central Appraisal District’s evidence
supports a higher value than its Proposed Value – we may withdraw the
protest because the Appraisal Review Board is the only authority that
can raise a value after it has been a Proposed Value by the Central
Appraisal District. We try to avoid the risk of a higher value when
the Central Appraisal District’s case supports one.