Tax Appeal Appraisal & Consulting Services

Pointer Appraisal Services Provides Tax Appeal Consulting and Appraisal Services for Residential and Commercial/Industrial properties.  Our appraisers have participated in numerous ad valorem projects for property owners, attorneys, and government agencies. 

Most localities determine your property tax burden based on an ad valorem assessment of the property's value. Sometimes, as a property owner, you get an unwanted surprise in the mail telling you your taxes are going up, and sometimes it may seem as though your assessment is too high.

In Ohio, counties have a full reassessment every 6 years and an update every 3 years. A schedule is available Here. 

If you feel as though your property was overvalued, a professional, independent appraiser who is experienced in providing convincing and defensible appraisals for the use of the board of revision or court of jurisdiction can provide unbiased opinion of market value for support in your complaint.

Process of Filing a Complaint:

The procedure for appealing assessments differs by county.  However, generally in Ohio the process is started by filling out a form and attaching supporting documentation, such as a professional appraisal, and submitting them to the county board of revision.  This can be done by an attorney or a homeowner.  The forms are usually available at the county auditor or board of revision website. 

Property tax complaints are generally due to the board of revision on between January 1 and March 31 in the year which the taxes are due.  This means most people will pay their tax bill and file a complaint with the board of revision within a few weeks of each other. 

Valuation Dates:

Property taxes are paid one year in the rears.  This means that the value which your taxes are calculated is based on the prior years value as of January 1.  For instance, property taxes due in 2010 are based on a valuation date of January 1, 2009.  Property taxes due in 2011 are based on a valuation date of January 1, 2010 and so on. 

Therefore, in most cases, we perform an appraisal for property tax complaints it is what is known as a retrospective appraisal, since we utilize an effective date in the past.  In application this requires all sold sales comparables be sold on or prior to the valuation date for use in the valuation.

How Often to File:

Complaints may only be filed once in each interim (See Here) period. An interim period is the 3 years between an update and reassessment.  Several Exceptions Include: If the property was sold, had casualty loss, substantial improvement, or increase or decrease of more than 15% in occupancy.  See Ohio Revised Code Section 5715.19 here: http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/5715.19

More Information:

Having an attorney draft the complaint is typically the best scenario, however many homeowners prefer to draft the forms themselves.

Our appraisal reports will include all the information you need to fill out most assessment appeal forms.  This saves you a step in collecting much of the information yourself.

Sometimes, you will have a hearing on your assessment appeal and will need for the appraiser you've hired to testify about their findings and conclusions. Be assured that at Pointer Appraisal Services, we are able to professionally testify at board of revision hearings.  Browse our website or order a quote to learn more about our qualifications, expertise and services offered.