Help! Need a Property Tax Reassessment Attorney in Texas
I recently had my Texas rental property taxes reassessed to a higher basis and am looking to appeal the assessor's decision. I remember seeing a bunch of mailers from attorneys specializing in tax reassessment for no fee (they get paid a percentage off the savings they are able to get).
Has anyone worked with a reputable no fee firm? I Yelped a couple firms online and was horrified to see all of negative reviews on them.
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#2 Real Estate Agent Contributor
- Real Estate Broker
- Coppell, TX
Probably too late for this year. Typically you have to file the protest latest in May, then they set a hearing date, and normally try to wrap it all up by end of July. There can be some exceptions, but if you did not file a protest, or your hearing date has passed, or you got your assessment more than 30 days ago, you're probably out of luck for this year.
Next year when you get the valuation you can file a protest then.
@Warren Z. you are too late to protest your property taxes for 2021. In the future, Look at Texas ProTax, Five Stone, and Home Tax Shield as options. All will help protest your taxes for a mix of a small fee and then % of savings.
Thank you for the quick replies. To be more specific, I want to add that the assessors have sent reassessment for the past six years and not just for last year.
The assessors are saying that the previous owner had claimed homestead exemption and I was getting the exemption rate for all these years and now I have to pay the difference in full.
I never filed for a homestead exemption and feel that I’m being penalized for the assessor’s error. Do you think I have any case for a concession?
@Warren Z.. As you stated you never claimed Homestead Exemption on the property, the mistake in on the Appraisal District / Tax Agencies to eat crow.
Don't think you actually need a Tax Assessment Attorney. Hopefully, a strong worded letter from an Attorney pointing out their mistakes would do the job.
@Jim Cummings thanks for your response. I will give it a shot and see what happens.
@Warren Z. you paid lower taxes than owed for the last 6 years because the tax dept didn’t realize you should have been paying higher taxes. Now they have realized and want their money. Is it legal for them to do so? I don’t know. But I know that IRS can do that - if they make a mistake then they can go back up to 6 years of tax return (it’s usually 3 but they can legally extend it to 6 years) to demand their money back.
Better ask the attorney if you have any chance with the tax dept (this would not work with IRS), because they will simply write the letter and charge you money irrespective of whether you have any chance or not. Talk to more than one attorney, and let us know what they say.