How to protest your property taxes

This is the time of the year when Texans receive their property tax appraisal, and you could agree with it or disagree, in that case, you might think about protesting your taxes, so this is what you need to know in order to do it in the first place.

First, you would need to check if those taxes are accurate, in that case, you would need to check with your appraisal district if the information that they have about your home is correct.

After this important step, you need to evaluate the market value, and this my friend is when things can get a bit tricky because we are in a housing market like never before when houses are flying out of the shelves and prices are simply skyrocketing every single month.

TIPS TO KEEP IN MIND

  • Don’t just check the current values of comparables houses in your neighborhood, you must go at least 6 months back.
  • You must document your house condition, that means taking pictures of your entire house including repairs and upgrades that you have made, and if you have receips of work done in your house you must add them as well.
  • Check for new constructions in your area, either private or public because that is also going to affect the value of your house.
  • Compare your new report with people in your neighborhood, to see if yours is off or is similar to theirs, keep in mind that the value of each house depends on size, and condition.

HOW SUCCESSFUL IS THIS PROCESS?

Well, you will never know if you get something before even asking for it, so go for it!

 

So if after this you still think is a good idea to protest, here are the next steps that you need to take in the order of filing your request.

 

  1. Download the form, fill out your protest and mail it to your appraisal County

TARRANT COUNTY

Property Owner’s Notice of Protest (tad.org)

DENTON COUNTY

How to Protest – Denton CAD

 

2. Normally the owner will be required to be present on a informal hearing on the case with an appraiser, if after this hearing the owner still not getting a resolution in the case, the homeowner will be required in a formal hearing before the appraisal review board.

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Fernanda Bell

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