Texas Property Tax Appeal

Property Taxes

Your local appraisal district can and probably will unfairly raise your property taxes at some point in the life of your property. Property owners can file tax protests using a form provided by the appraisal district. The deadline to file a protest is May 15 or 30 days after your notice of assessed value is mailed to you, whichever occurs later. The best practice is to protest annually to minimize your property taxes over time.

You should contact a local tax consultant to handle your appeal. There are a number of different methods used by Texas appraisal districts to determine the market value of your property. The most common methods are equity, income, and cost.

Informal Hearing

The first step in the appeal process is you will be notified of an informal hearing date. You will meet with a staff appraiser at the appraisal district office. The appraiser will either refuse to adjust your property appraisal, or he will offer to settle by providing a lower assessment. If you choose to settle, you will not be able to litigate for the tax year in question if you are unhappy with the result. So, if you are unhappy with the settlement offered by the appraiser, you should consider proceeding to the next step.

Did you know?

“An appeal is a request for a higher court to review a lower court’s decision. You may wish to file an appeal if you have lost your case in the trial court. You may also find yourself involved in appellate proceedings if an opposing party seeks to overturn your victory in the trial court. Legal appellate work is complicated.

We strongly advise you to hire or consult a licensed attorney if you can afford one. If you cannot afford an attorney, and you are not entitled to court-appointed counsel, then you may choose to proceed pro se.

Everyone has the right to represent themselves in a Texas court. But, be aware that pro se litigants are held to the same standards as licensed attorneys and are required to follow the Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure (TRAP). Pro se representation carries many risks.”

Failure to follow the rules can result in fines, sanctions, or the dismissal of the case.

You can read more about the risks of self representation here: https://texaslawhelp.org/article/appealing-a-judgment-in-texas

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ARB Hearing

After filing a protest, you will receive a notice of appraisal review board hearing, called an ARB hearing. This hearing is conducted at your local appraisal district office. Each side will present competing evidence about the market value of the property. The board members overseeing the hearing will announce their decision, either refusing to lower the appraisal value of the property, or by providing a lower tax assessment. Many residential and commercial tax appeals are settled by this step in the process.

Tax Appealing shouldn’t be so confusing…

Lawsuit

If your Texas appraisal district refused to offer a fair appraisal of your property, residential or commercial, you may appeal the result obtained at the ARB hearing to a Texas district court. The property owner should consider the potential tax savings and legal costs involved in litigation, but it is oftentimes the most effective way of reducing property tax liability.

The smartest decision you can make, is educate yourself on all of the nuances and pitfalls of filing your taxes. Sometimes your rates can become raised in times of great national economic strain.

If you or someone you know has had an unreasonably high property tax appraisal, call your El Paso property tax attorneys at Vazquez Hutterer PLLC to discuss your options. You can contact us at 915-955-4939 or info@vhcivillaw.com

Contact the Top Firm in Residential Value Reductions

We will ensure that you as a homeowner, will have the tools you need and the expertise that is trusted. Vazquez Hutterer Civil Law Firm will help lower your property taxes every year. Contact us for more information on our services and how we can help you.

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