- The deadline to file your property tax protest is Monday, May 17.
- When you file, make sure you file for both incorrect market value and unequal compared with other properties.
- Once you file, you will have your informal and formal hearings. Make sure you are prepared for both.
Hi everyone. I hope you are having a great week. This week’s blog article will be short and sweet – MAKE SURE YOU FILE YOUR PROPERTY TAX PROTEST. The deadline is within the next week. So this entry will just talk about what the deadline is, how to make protest, and what to expect once you do.
Filing the Protest
As I wrote above, this is the week. In Texas, normally property tax protest forms are due on May 15. But this year, May 15 is a Saturday. As a result, the deadline to file your protest is moved to Monday, May 17. So before next Monday, you must send in your Notice of Protest to the appraisal district for the county in which your property is located.
When you file the Notice of Protest, its very important to file – at the least – the following reasons for protest in Section 3 of the form:
Incorrect appraised (market) value, and
Value is unequal compared with other properties.
We have discussed in previous blog articles the importance of protesting both of these. They are both vital to making sure your assessed value is lowered to the appropriate amount.
What Happens Next
Once you file the protest, you will likely hear from the appraisal district with a time for your informal and formal hearings. IMPORTANT – The appraisal district may not contact you directly. You should be proactive to check when your hearing dates are because it is very important that you do not miss the dates. You may not be able to make them up if you do.
At the informal hearing, you will talk with the county appraiser to see if you can reach an agreement on what the appraised value of your property should be. The appraiser will show you the data he or she has and ask for your information. Be prepared with your own data and analysis to argue your position.
If you cannot agree on an appraised value, you will then proceed to a formal hearing. In some counties, this can occur immediately after the informal hearing. At this hearing, you will present your evidence to a three person panel – as will the appraisal district. The panel will then decide what the appraised value of your property should be.
The final step after that, if you so choose, is to file a lawsuit against the district. You then proceed to litigation against the district.
But none of this can start unless you file your Notice of Protest by May 17. So please make sure you do not miss that date. If there is anything we can help with, please do not hesitate to call at 512-614-0335.
Thank you.
