In Central Texas, here’s how to protest your property tax appraisal
The good news is that home values in Travis County stabilized this year.
Still, the median market value for homes — the amount for which the county thinks a home would sell — reached $612,568 in Travis County this year. Even if that's only a slight increase over last year, it can still mean a sizable property tax bill. It's possible to lower it if you successfully challenge the appraised value of your home.
You could hire a firm to handle the challenge for you; typically they only get paid if they succeed in cutting your taxable value. Or you could handle the challenge yourself.
More: Why Austin's housing market is tilting back toward buyers in 2023
Here’s how the process works:
Your home value starts Jan. 1
Your home’s appraised value for the year is based on its condition – and what the appraisal district estimates the sale price for your property could be – on Jan.1. Any damage or improvements after this date – say, a tree that falls on your roof in March, or the new bathroom you added in May – won’t affect the taxable value of your home this year.
Appraisals mailed out
In early to mid-April, the appraisal district mails a notice to all property owners, telling you the estimated market value and assessed value of your home. The assessed value is the number used for tax purposes. Look over the numbers carefully. If your property is not described correctly or if the value seems incorrect, you can protest it.
More: Appraisal notices on way to Travis County property owners; values reflect 'stabilizing' market
Filing a protest
In Travis, Williamson and Hays counties, May 15 is the deadline for most property owners to file a notice of protest of your appraised value. The Travis Central Appraisal District will host a webinar on the protest process at 11:30 a.m. May 3. Register at traviscad.org/webinars.
What’s the best way to file? You have a couple of options. You can use the form on the back of the “Notice of Appraised Value” that you received from the appraisal district, since it already has your account information printed on it. Or you can file your protest online. In Travis County, go to www.traviscad.org/efile. Williamson County residents can go to www.wcad.org/online-protest-filing, while Hays County residents can do the same at www.hayscad.com/protest-info. The benefit of online protesting is that appraisal district staffers can review your information and decide whether to offer you a settlement, potentially without you having to attend a hearing at all.
As you’re filling out the form, pay particular attention to the step in which you check off the box or boxes stating the reason for your protest. Your choices here will affect what kind of evidence you can present later on. If the district listed the wrong square footage for your home, for instance, be sure to check “property description is incorrect.” If you think your value is out of step with similar homes, make sure to mark “Value is unequal compared with other properties.”
For typical homeowners challenging their appraisal, the Texas Comptroller’s office suggests checking “Value is over market value” and “Value is unequal compared with other properties.” That will “allow you to present the widest types of evidence and preserve your full appeal rights,” the agency says in its handout on “Property Taxpayer Remedies.”
More: Home sales, median sold prices topple in Central Texas housing market
Meet with the appraiser
Once you’ve filed your “Notice of Protest,” the Travis Central Appraisal District will send you a letter with two dates: an informal meeting with an appraisal staffer and your formal hearing date with the appraisal review board, a group of independent residents appointed to hear these challenges. During the informal meeting, the staffer will review the numbers with you. Bring all of your documentation: Information on comparable homes (records are available on the appraisal district’s website), perhaps an independent appraisal if you recently refinanced your house, or photos, repair estimates and other records showing damage that may devalue your home. Once you and a staffer have hashed it out, the district may offer to reduce your value by a certain amount. If you’re satisfied, you can accept it.
If not, you can keep your date with the appraisal review board,, or technically, with a three-member panel of appraisal review board members. Before that hearing, you have a right to see all of the information the district appraisers plan to present, so be sure to contact the appraisal district to request those documents.
Meet with appraisal review board
If you take your case to the appraisal review board, come prepared and expect a rapid-fire proceeding. The entire hearing will likely take 15 to 30 minutes. In that time you will be placed under oath and given a chance to present any evidence or witnesses supporting your case. You must conclude by stating the figure you believe your property is worth. Someone from the appraisal district will likely question you and provide additional evidence. Then you can question the appraiser or any witnesses presented by the appraisal district. Members of the appraisal review board can ask clarifying questions, too. Finally, each side gets to make a closing statement, so once again you’ll want to reiterate what you believe your property is worth and why. The three-member panel will discuss the case and reach a recommended value.
The full appraisal review board will review the recommendation of the three-person panel and approve your final assessed value. You’ll get a certified letter in the mail with the decision.
Options for appeal
Protest hearings typically wrap up by August. But you still have recourse if you’re not satisfied with the appraisal review board decision. If your property is valued at less than $1 million, or if it’s your homestead, regardless of value, you can take your case to binding arbitration. There’s a form for that, too. You’ll need to file that within 45 days of receiving the appraisal review board decision, and it’ll cost you $500. All but $50 of that will be refunded if you prevail.
There are two alternatives to arbitration. You can take your appeal to state district court (that challenge must be filed within 60 days of receiving the appraisal review board decision, and you’ll likely need an attorney’s help). Or for properties valued over $ 1 million, you can file an appeal with the State Office of Administrative Hearings (that challenge must be filed within 30 days of receiving the ARB decision).
Helpful hints
Here are some suggestions from experts on how to conduct yourself during the protest and appeal process, and how to give yourself the best change at success:
DON’T: Complain about how you can’t afford your taxes. The appraisal district doesn’t set the tax rate; they only decide what your home is worth for tax purposes.
DO: Come armed with a specific value you believe your home is worth, and the documentation to support that figure.
DON’T: Give a long, rambling presentation filled with generalizations.
DO: Request in advance the documentation the appraisal district compiled to calculate its appraisal of your property. Examine the comparable homes used to determine your property’s value. See whether differences in property size, home upgrades or proximity to a busy road, for instance, might make those properties a poor comparison for your home.
Sources: Travis Central Appraisal District; Texas Comptroller’s Office.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: How to protest your property tax appraisal in Central Texas
