Property taxes are a big contributing factor to the total costs you incur maintaining a home. How much you pay in taxes will depend on the tax rate in your local community and the state valuation of your property.
Every six years, county auditors in Ohio must re-evaluate properties. They do so on a rolling basis, with different homeowners receiving notification of the updated state-assessed value for their home every six years. Auditors may visit your property or use digital tools to look for changes that might increase the value.
If they determine that the property value has increased, they will update the value for your property. That increase will mean that you pay more in taxes as well. Sometimes, the value is unrealistic and inappropriate. If your home would not sell for that amount, you may have a strong case for an appeal to reduce the assessed value.
What Does The Appeals Process Involve?
You will need to fill out and submit special paperwork to file a complaint. You can send the local Board of Revision a Complaint Against Valuation. How you fill out this paperwork is crucial to the success of your claim.
Once you submit the complaint, the Board of Review will potentially schedule a hearing. They may also notify the local school board if your complaint might result in a reduction in value of $50,000 or more.
At the hearing, you will have to present evidence about why you believe the valuation of your home is inaccurate. Unlike a court hearing, you will not have immediate results after a Board of Review hearing. It will likely be several weeks until you hear whether your appeal was successful. If it was not, you may need to pursue further steps for the appeals process.
You Can Only Appeal During Certain Times
Understanding when to file your appeal is as important as how you do so. In Ohio, you can generally only appeal a property tax valuation between January 1st and March 31st. Lucas County has recently seen a significant increase in property tax appeals, so expedient action is likely in your best interests if you believe your assessed value for taxes is too high.
Preparing ahead of time can help you take advantage of that limited window of opportunity in which to adjust the improper valuation of your home and limit how much you have to pay in property taxes.