In a 2017 article from the Chicago Tribune, the author noted that most property owners were "foolish" if they did NOT appeal their tax assessments. Going on to explain that it is a free shot at saving money, the author emphasized that (although the article emphasized the Chicago area) it should be a nationwide policy of commercial and residential property owners. So, if you are a bit unhappy about changes in your tax assessment, make certain you appeal it with the Fulton County Tax Assessor.
Of course, you cannot appeal it at just any time. Assessments are done every few years, and you then receive a letter from the Fulton County Tax Assessor letting you know the assessed value of the property. It is that value that is multiplied by the town or county tax rate, and that is the amount you are billed singly or in two payments per year. Ignoring the amount that your property has been valued by the Fulton County Tax Assessor is never a good idea because it could see you paying out hundreds of dollars more than is your reasonable share.
Naturally, there are also some property owners who are disappointed with the amounts the Fulton County Tax Assessor determined because it maintains or reduces the value of the property. This can lead to a lower asking prices for a property, and a reduced amount at the time of sale.
The good news is that, too high or too low, an appeal is possible. However, you are going to have from 30 to 45 days to make that appeal, meaning time is of the essence. Even more so when you realize that the process is not as simple as picking up the phone and lodging some sort of complaint or request.
What the Fulton County Tax Assessor Needs in Your Appeal
Before we start to look at the many documents and bits of evidence you need to submit as part of your appeal, let's take a few seconds to understand several important points. The first is that the Fulton County Tax Assessor did not make an assessment with any agenda in mind. In other words, it is never personal. Instead, your assessment comes from a range of variables that include:
- The square footage of the property
- The amount of land it sits on
- The number of buildings and the conditions of the buildings on the property
- How many bathrooms it has
- If the basement is finished
- Whether there is a pool, and more
They also do a comparison of other, similar properties, recently sold versus the amount you paid on the property, but they may not actually look over the property in person. The Fulton County Tax Assessor office is like many other tax assessor's offices around the country, incredibly busy. They use a lot of data to reach their conclusions, and if they don't get it quite right, they are happy to reconsider if you present adequate evidence.
That evidence is the appeal you'll send to the Fulton County Tax Assessor. It will have to include a pretty staggering amount of documentation, however. The first thing that you'll need to do is get the worksheet that showed how they reached their conclusions. Double check everything. Human error and typographical errors can lead to major issues. As the simplest example, you might have 1.5 acres and a slip of the finger makes it 15 acres. That creates a giant gap between what you should pay and what you are being asked to pay.
So, be sure there are no basic mistakes, and then make a list of the documents you will need to convince the Fulton County Tax Assessor that the assessment they did was too high or too low. Those documents might include a survey of the property, maps, architectural plans, insurance documents and anything else that demonstrates some key details that might alter the value the assessor determined.
You also have to show them that they have valued similar properties at the lower (or higher) levels by finding your own comparison properties in the area. That would mean searching for homes or commercial buildings identical or nearly so to yours, and looking at their sale prices. They'll need to be fairly recent sales, and if you can find five or more, it is likely that you are going to get some changes to the assessment.
Of course, many property owners might think, "Well, they'll drop it by a few percentage points, but not a measurable amount. Why go to the trouble?"
Again, remember what that journalist wrote in the Chicago Journal, it is foolish to ignore this figure. You could be looking at hundreds or even thousands of dollars over the course of a few years. It will always pay to appeal!
How to Get Started
One of the main reasons people let the deadlines come and go without submitting an appeal (apart from not considering whether or not their assessment is accurate) is that it is such a time consuming and labor intensive process. There is all of the documentation gathering, the research for comps and the paperwork for the appeal itself. You have to manage the deadlines and ensure you've done all you are supposed to do in order to get that appeal and have the documents together and under review. Fortunately, there are professionals who can do all of the legwork for you.
At Fair Assessments, LLC you will find a team of experts with more than two decades of experience helping commercial and residential property owners ask the Fulton County Tax Assessor to reconsider their property valuation and tax bill. They are experts in home and commercial properties and emphasize the Atlanta metro area as well as helping commercial property owners in GA and FL. If you want to appeal the amount your property was assessed just get in touch and get the process started…time's wasting!
