Appeal property tax increase in FL

Investor · San Francisco Bay Area · Member since 2023 · 9 posts · 2 votes

Hello BP community, does anyone have experience (or know people who have) in appealing property tax increase in Orlando FL? How is the appeal process like, and has anyone had success or non-success with the appeal?

Much thanks!

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Shawn McCormickPro Member

Realtor · Central Florida-Orlando · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 892 votes

@Grace Chee The process for this is time sensitive, you should have gotten a TRIM notice around late August, early September. That will show what proposed tax increase you will see. Since we pay taxes in arrears, the appeal process must move along quickly as they are payable in November (at a discounted rate). If you go to your counties property appraiser website, you can find the process and forms. It is too late for you to contest 2024, so you'll have to wait for your 2025 TRIM notice next year.

As for your neighbors, they could have exemptions like Homestead, widow, military disability and many others that can reduce the amount of taxes. They could have owned the home for many years and if homesteaded, are limited to up to a 3% increase each year. Since you recently purchased, yours was reassessed at todays values and theirs are still working off assessments from years ago (possibly) and the people you bought from likely had an old assessment as well. Hopefully this makes sense, but sounds like you are got caught in an assessment when you purchased. Make sure you have filed for Homestead exemption at the very least (this can only be done if you the home is your primary residence, not an investment home). You have until the end of February to file that to have it count toward your 2025 tax bill.

Hope this helps, best of luck!

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Zane Cress
Realtor · Athens, GA · Member since 2023 · 201 posts · 104 votes
1y
There are lawyers and services you can hire to do this for you. They typically take a portion of whatever they save you as their fee. You can also appeal directly with the local tax assessor office in your city. They have a form you can fill out and submit, might be able to do it online depending on the city. If this is for a SFH and you have owned it for a few years then you can probably get a hold put on the tax increase for a few more years. Say you paid 100k 6 years ago and have done nothing to improve the property value. Maybe your last value assessment was for 250k. If houses near you are now selling for 300k then the local assessor will just blanket raise all properties in value based on the years sales. You could argue that your property has not materially improved and does not meet the same value as the most recently sold properties. In theory you could get a hold put on your taxable valuation at 250k for a few more years. Ultimately you can only hold it down so far and the government will eventually get their money.
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Grace Chee
OP
Investor · San Francisco Bay Area · Member since 2023 · 9 posts · 2 votes
1y
Thank you Zane for the reply! I've owned my rental SFH for 1.5 years, and noticed my property tax is significantly higher than my neighbors' properties with similar square footage and conditions. I understand they purchased their property bit earlier at a lower price, but the difference shouldn't be so significant. Any recommendations for me with the property tax appeal?
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Shawn McCormickPro Member
Realtor · Central Florida-Orlando · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 892 votes
1y
@Grace Chee The process for this is time sensitive, you should have gotten a TRIM notice around late August, early September. That will show what proposed tax increase you will see. Since we pay taxes in arrears, the appeal process must move along quickly as they are payable in November (at a discounted rate). If you go to your counties property appraiser website, you can find the process and forms. It is too late for you to contest 2024, so you'll have to wait for your 2025 TRIM notice next year.
As for your neighbors, they could have exemptions like Homestead, widow, military disability and many others that can reduce the amount of taxes. They could have owned the home for many years and if homesteaded, are limited to up to a 3% increase each year. Since you recently purchased, yours was reassessed at todays values and theirs are still working off assessments from years ago (possibly) and the people you bought from likely had an old assessment as well. Hopefully this makes sense, but sounds like you are got caught in an assessment when you purchased. Make sure you have filed for Homestead exemption at the very least (this can only be done if you the home is your primary residence, not an investment home). You have until the end of February to file that to have it count toward your 2025 tax bill.
Hope this helps, best of luck!
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Tyler GibsonBusiness Member
Real Estate Agent · Orlando, FL · Member since 2017 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
1y
Quote from @Grace Chee:

Thank you Zane for the reply! I've owned my rental SFH for 1.5 years, and noticed my property tax is significantly higher than my neighbors' properties with similar square footage and conditions. I understand they purchased their property bit earlier at a lower price, but the difference shouldn't be so significant. Any recommendations for me with the property tax appeal?

Unless you have data that suggests that they have overvalued your home. You likely are not going to get a reduction in your taxes. Your neighbor s as Sean mentioned, have a lower tax bill likely due to the fact that they live there and there are laws that prohibit the tax assessor from raising the property values more than 3% per year when it's your primary residence okay, it's also fairly common for your tax bill to significantly increase in the tax year after you purchase it. This is due to the fact that the property appraiser is reassessing the value after the sale of the property. Before you file your petition to the value adjustment board, you may want to look at what they have valued your property at to see if it is overvalued. If it is not then this is likely The New normal for your tax bill.
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Jason MalabuteBusiness Member
Accountant · Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2016 · 2k+ posts · 901 votes
1y
I recommend starting by contacting the county’s property tax office to determine if they are open to discussing or reviewing an appeal for property taxes. Based on my experience, it’s often not worth the time and expense because appeals frequently lead to no change in the tax assessment. However, as Zane mentioned in his response, another option is to consult with a lawyer who specializes in appealing property taxes. They can evaluate your specific case and guide you through the process effectively
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Grace Chee
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Investor · San Francisco Bay Area · Member since 2023 · 9 posts · 2 votes
1y
Thanks all for the replies!

@Tyler Gibson >Before you file your petition to the value adjustment board, you may want to look at what they have valued your property at to see if it is overvalued.
How do I go about determining if the property's reassessed value is overvalued? :)
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Jordan Lulich
Attorney · Vero Beach, FL · Member since 2017 · 15 posts · 6 votes
1y
Typically there is a small window for you to appeal (although this could vary county to county). I would call your local property appraiser office and ask about the criteria for appealing, because you may have to wait until next year when you receive the TRIM notice.
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