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How to Appeal Your Property Tax Assessment

• Application for Reduced Property Tax for Senior Citizens
• Application to Pay Property Tax by Installment
• BRT Appeal Form
• List of Experienced Property Tax Attorneys

My advice: by all means appeal! The 5 men and 2 women who compose the Board of Revision of Taxes (BRT) know full well what a burden the property tax is for many people. They want to help. After all, they hear people complain about the real estate tax every day. But you can't just walk into the BRT and say your taxes are too high. You need to give the boardmembers something to hang their hat on. Basically that means you must argue either overvaluation or non-uniformity (see below).

Two Easy Things You Can Try First

1. Some District Councilpeople will accompany you to your appeal hearing. Call your Councilperson and find out if they offer this service. Don't know who your District Councilmember is? Find out here. If your district Councilperson doesn't offer this service, try At Large Councilman Frank Rizzo. I have heard the Councilman has helped people appeal their real estate tax.

   Here's how it works: the Councilperson gets a whole group of constituents together and then everybody goes down to the BRT together with the Councilperson or their representative. It's in the BRT's interests to maintain good relations with Council, so they're more likely to cut you a break if you go as part of such a group.

2. If your assessment is obviously out of line, you may be able to avoid an appeal altogether simply by calling the BRT at (215) 686-4334 and asking to speak to your assessor. Your assessor is the BRT employee who responsible for valuing properties in your neighborhood. Explain the situation politely. For example, if you pay more than everybody on your block, but your house is basically the same, your assessor may grant you a reduction on the spot.

How to Appeal

You need to appeal by the first Monday in October in order to reduce your tax bill for the following year. Fill out an appeal form and return it to the BRT. Read the BRT's instructions on how to appeal. Warning: I am no expert at this, so if there is significant money at stake, I suggest you hire a lawyer with experience in property tax appeals. Here's a list of lawyers with actual experience in property tax matters. Or you can try calling lawyer referral service of the Phila. Bar Association at 215.238-6333.

What You Must Argue to Win

There are basically only two reasons the BRT will accept for reducing your property tax: overvaluation and non-uniformity.

1. Overvaluation. Your assessment is too high. In other words, you are being taxed more than your fair share because your house is worth significantly less than what the BRT says it is. Because the BRT in general values properties below what they would bring on the open market, most people probably will probably have a hard time getting their assessment reduced for this reason.

   In order to win this sort of appeal, you must convince the BRT that their valuation exceeds the actual worth of your house. Probably the strongest piece of evidence you can offer is a valuation prepared by a PA certified assessor. Other evidence can include your own testimony as to why your house is overvalued, sales of similar properties in your neighborhood (If you run a property tax report for your address you will find a link to similar sales.) to establish a market value, photos, pictures etc.

   To find an appraiser, call a local real estate agent and ask for the name of an appraiser familiar with your area. An appraisal will cost about $300 - $350. Your local real estate agent may also be willing to give you a comparative market analysis at a lesser price or for free, but most agents are not licensed to do actual appraisals.

2. Nonuniformity Your property is valued correctly (or lower than market value in most cases), but the BRT has assigned much lower values to other similar properties in your neighborhood. In other words, you may be paying less than what the law says you should pay, but you're paying significantly more than other people in your neighborhood.

   Find out how much property tax your neighbors are paying. If your bill is significantly higher, then you probably have a cause for action.

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