Here's a question from a Money reader about property taxes that have been charged incorrectly:
I own an investment condo in New York City. In June 2004 I paid property taxes of $999.78, which were never credited. I keep getting "balance due" notices, but I've sent my documentation to various departments and spent hours on the consumer help line. Now the city's Web site shows me in arrears. What can I do?
Here's Money's answer:
About 60 percent of homeowners find a meaningful error on their property taxes, reports the American Homeowners Association.
The good news: 80 percent of those homeowners manage to get the error fixed if they fight back.
For persistent problems like this one, the tax commissioner's office is often the best place for consumers with clearly documented tax problems to find real help.
TIP: When property tax statements are mailed out, they usually trigger a flurry of consumer calls. To make sure you get a human on the phone when filing your complaint, wait a week after receiving your statement to call.
Sixty percent of homeowners find a meaningful error on their property taxes? Yikes!! Does this mean 60% of the taxes are wrong -- or that much more are wrong but only 60% are caught. Either way, it's way, way, way too high.
If you need help fighting your property taxes, see How to Contest Your Home Assessment.
My real estate taxes jumped consderibly one year and have continued to increase each year thereafter. I have asked time and time again at the town office WHY, but only response I get is...ahhhh....measurements were wrong! Where does one begin???
Posted by: Richard Buck | January 17, 2007 at 04:22 PM