MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT PROPERTY TAX GRIEVANCE Q. WHAT IS AN ASSESSMENT? A. Assessments are the taxing authority's judgement of what your property is worth. Unfortunately, it is legal to assess at less than 100% of value which can be very confusing. This means that if a taxing authority is assessing at 2% and your house is worth $100,000, than your assessment should be $2000. This is called fractional assessment as opposed to full value (100%) assessment. One of the problems with the method of fractional assessment, is that due to appreciating or depreciating market values, the fraction changes every year. Q. HOW ARE TAXES DERIVED? A. Taxes are derived by multiplying your assessed value by the various tax rates associated with your taxing district, such as county, town, schools, garbage etc... Taxes go up every year because the tax rates increase usually due to an increase in spending. If an assessment is lowered, than regardless of how much a tax rate increases the final taxes will be lower than they would have been at a higher assessed value. ASSESSMENT X TAX RATE = TAXES. Q. COULD MY TAXES BE RAISED AS A RESULT OF THIS PROCESS? A. NO! The hearing officer can only grant or deny a reduction. Legally, he cannot raise anyone's taxes. Q. IS THIS PROCESS LEGAL? A. Absolutely! In fact, one in every ten clients of Tax Reduction Services is an attorney. TRS simply utilizes a tax appeal system available to all citizens. It's a process that starts on Grievance Day, the one day each year when homeowners may officially protest their assessments. Typically, the grievance board tends to "rubber stamp" the assessment practices of the local town assessors office. Therefore, a judicial hearing system was instituted by lawmakers in Albany to provide homeowners with a more impartial review of their assessment. This judicial process requires a $25 filing fee and various certified mailings to commence. This fee can be refunded by the judge if a tax reduction is granted. Q. CAN I FILE A GRIEVANCE MYSELF? A. Yes. However, we find that most homeowners who file for themselves don't get the reduction they deserve. Some people simply don't have the time or may become intimidated by all the paperwork involved in grieving property taxes. Q. IS TRS LICENSED? A. Yes. As a matter of fact Paul Henry president of TRS, is vice president and founder of The Association of Assessment Consultants (AAC). The AAC was instrumental in drafting the legislation which regulates our industry today. Q. CAN I GRIEVE THE TAXES I HAVE ALREADY PAID? A. NO. The grievance process is only for the current tax year and future years. Q. DOES THIS REDUCTION AFFECT ALL OF MY PROPERTY TAXES? A. A reduction will affect your town, county and school taxes. Q. CAN I FILE A GRIEVANCE FOR MY VILLAGE TAXES? A. Yes you can grieve your village taxes too. Villages have a different filing deadline and require a separate grievance form be filed with them. TRS will be happy to tell you what the deadline is for your village. Just give us a call. Q. AM I ENTITLED TO A REDUCTION IF I HAVE TAX EXEMPTIONS? A. YES! A grievance reduction will be above and beyond any exemptions you already have. Q. DO I HAVE TO ATTEND ANY HEARINGS? A. NO. TRS files ALL of the paperwork and makes ALL appearances for you. Q. WHAT HAPPENS IF MY GRIEVANCE IS DENIED? A. If your grievance is denied, TRS will file an appeal on your behalf. Q. CAN I FILE A GRIEVANCE AT ANY TIME DURING THE YEAR? A. You can only file a grievance once a year. In Nassau County grievance day is March 1st. Suffolk County's grievance day is the third Tuesday in May. Some villages have different filing deadlines. Q. HOW DO I KNOW IF MY ASSESSMENT IS TOO HIGH? A. TRS will be happy to help you find out if you are over-assessed. Simply call us today for a free property tax analysis right over the phone. Your assessment is supposed to be proportional to value. Based upon your assessed value and the current ratio issued by New York State, we can determine the value that the assessor has placed on your property. This is your equalized value. Keep in mind that the equalized value changes from year to year as ratios change. In a perfect world, this reflects the changes in market values. Q. HOW DO I DETERMINE THE VALUE OF MY HOME? A. The value of your home can be determined in various ways. The best and most reliable method of valuation is a recent sale of your property. In the absence of a recent sale , an appraisal is the next best tool. Many homeowners have refinanced and obtained appraisals as a result. Contact your bank or mortgage company if you don't have a copy of your refinance appraisal. If your house is for sale, a listing can be helpful, but not weighed heavily in the eyes of the court. Q. WILL A REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE TOWN COME TO MY HOUSE IF I FILE A GRIEVANCE? A. No. The assessors office does not usually inspect a property if a grievance has been filed.