Old timer at the county assessor's office warned me about appealing my property tax online

Last year I tried to appeal my property tax assessment through the county website, figured it would save time. But before I hit submit, a retired guy named Frank who worked there told me to mail it in instead. He said their online system was run by a third party vendor who rejected 60 percent of digital appeals automatically, just for formatting errors. I had two weeks left, so I sent a paper copy with a cover letter and all my comps. My assessment dropped by $12,000 and I got a refund check three months later. Has anyone else had luck skipping the digital forms and going old school with these government offices?

3 comments

3 Comments

max_hernandez2716d ago

Did you read that article in the consumer reports newsletter about how most government sites outsource their appeal forms to cheap software companies? Makes sense they'd reject stuff just to save themselves work. I mailed my assessment dispute a few years back and got way better results too.

patricia26216d ago

Ngl, a buddy of mine tried the online portal for his tax reassessment and got a generic rejection like two days later. He printed out the same paperwork, mailed it certified with a handwritten note, and got a full hearing with a real person. Honestly, it's wild how much better paper works when dealing with these systems.

felix41416d ago

Did Frank mention if the online system just flags formatting errors or if it actually scans the content too? I'm wondering if they're programmed to toss anything that doesn't match their exact template, regardless of how solid your evidence is. Seems like the kind of loophole a private company would build in to boost their numbers.