What Makes Property Tax Appeal Evidence Credible?

A property tax appeal can involve a surprising variety of material: an assessment notice, a county property record, recent sales, assessments of similar homes, photographs, repair information, deeds, permits, and local filing instructions.Collecting those documents is only the beginning.The more important question is whether the material forms a coherent, reviewable record.

A useful packet should make it possible for the homeowner—and the local reviewer—to understand four things:What fact is being presented?Where did that fact come from?What did the homeowner confirm or correct?Why is the fact relevant to the local review process?That is the difference between a folder of documents and an evidence map.Start by separating the evidence lanesProperty tax appeal evidence is easier to evaluate when different kinds of facts are not blended together.1.

The official property recordThe local assessing authority's record is the starting point for the assessed value and the characteristics the authority has associated with the property. Depending on the jurisdiction, that record may include living area, property class, year built, improvements, land details, or an estimated market value.An official record is authoritative evidence of what the government currently has on file.

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