Challenging Unfair Property Tax Assessments
When the property taxman cometh and doeth wrong, what can you do as an individual homeowner or business owner to challenge their assessment? Initially, one of the best steps you can take is to talk to a lawyer who understands the property tax appeals process in your state.
In the Detroit area and southeast Michigan, you can find that lawyer at the Bloomfield Hills law firm of Resnick & Moss, P.C.
For more than 15 years now, individual and business clients alike have depended on our attorneys to protect their interests in real estate-related matters. Today, you can too. In fact, our firm has helped many individual homeowners and businesses to successfully challenge inflated market value appraisals and unfair property tax assessments. To discuss what we can do for you — call us at 248-642-5400 or reach us online.
While the economy has made local governments more reliant on property tax revenues than ever before — it has not diminished your legal right to appeal an unfair property tax assessment. Only you can do that ... by waiting too long to speak with an attorney about the situation and allowing a deadline to pass.
The Michigan property tax appeals process may vary by location. Generally, however, it all starts with the annual assessment notices mailed out in February of each year.
At this point, if you own residential property and do not believe that the tax is based on a fair market value — you may have only 10 days in which to file an appeal to your local board of review. Local boards of review usually hold their hearings in early or mid-March. However, some cities (most notably, Detroit) require an administrative appeal (in February) prior to any local board of review appeal. In any case, this step is critical because you cannot appeal to the Michigan Tax Tribunal (a July 31st deadline) unless you have first appealed to your local board of review.
If you own property that has been classified as commercial, industrial or developmental, no local board of review appeal is required and you can appeal directly to the Michigan Tax Tribunal before May 31st.
Unfortunately, 18 to 24 months often passes before the Tax Tribunal actually holds a hearing on your matter.
In the interim, our attorneys will not be sitting on their hands. Instead, they will be trying to achieve a negotiated solution with the assessing local government authority. Working with professional real estate appraisers and accounting professionals to develop a compelling case for a lower tax, we have often been successful in these efforts.
Call or contact us to schedule an initial consultation.
