Questions and answers
Short answers to the questions owners ask most. If your question is not here, email ran@myassessmentappeal.com.
- Is this a scam?
Fair question. We are Assessment Appeal (Assessment Appeal LLC). We never ask for money up front. There is no fee unless the assessed value goes down. Any invoice comes only after the official decision, with a copy of that decision attached. How to check us.
Nothing is filed without your written approval for each property and each year. You can also check the values on our letter against your county's records or your Form 11 notice.
- Are you the county or the state?
- No. We are a private company.
- How did you get my information?
- From public records. Indiana publishes property assessment and tax data, and the county publishes assessed values. The owner name comes from those records too. The estimate page for your property lists the source and date for each value. If you would rather not hear from us again, email us and we will stop.
- What does it cost?
- Our standard fee is 25% of the first year's tax savings for each year we appeal, and only if the assessed value goes down. No reduction, no fee. There is no up-front charge, no subscription, and no minimum. Lower rates can apply in some cases, for example owners with 6 or more appeals in a season. The fee agreement you sign states your rate, and that agreement is what counts. See all prices.
- Will my value go up if I appeal?
- It can. An appeal can end with a higher value. Before you approve filing, you get a one-page brief. It shows, on your own numbers, what a 10% higher value would cost you in tax. The representative reviews every case, and you decide for each property whether to file.
- What if the value does not go down?
- Then there is no fee.
- Can I withdraw?
- Yes. You can withdraw an appeal before the preliminary informal meeting with the assessor. You can cancel at any time from the link in any of our emails; cancellation takes effect immediately for every parcel not yet filed. Withdrawing or cancelling does not create a fee. After the meeting, ask your representative.
- How are savings calculated?
Savings for an appealed year = (the assessed value on the Form 11 notice minus the final assessed value) times the effective tax rate for that year's pay year, from the actual tax bill.
The effective tax rate can be higher than 3% of assessed value. Indiana caps most property tax on this kind of property at 3% of gross assessed value, but taxes approved by voters in a referendum are outside that cap.
- Will appealing make the assessor raise my value next year?
- Each year's assessment is made separately, as of January 1 of that year. An appeal can end with a higher value for the year you appeal. If a later year's assessment rises by more than 5% over the year before, that increase is again subject to the same Indiana rule (IC 6-1.1-15-20). We cannot tell you what an assessor will do in a later year.
- Hotels and motels: do I need an appraisal?
- Some hotel and motel cases need an appraisal. Whether yours does is known before anything is filed. If one is needed, you pay the appraiser directly; we do not pay it for you. Your financial records (for example P&L statements and rent rolls) are shared with the assessor only for the evidence sections you approve, and they are deleted 12 months after the case closes.
- Do I have to do anything?
- A few things, mostly online:
- sign the fee agreement and one power of attorney form for each company (State Form 23261);
- upload the Form 11 notice for each property and year (a photo is fine);
- answer a few questions about whether anything was built, torn down, or changed in use;
- before the filing deadline, approve or skip each property on a one-page brief we email you;
- before the meeting with the assessor, approve the evidence section by section.
- Does State Form 23261 need a notary?
- State Form 23261 is the power of attorney that lets our representative act for your company. The official form asks for a notary. If a notary is needed, we arrange that with you. You can finish the rest of signup online first.
- Can I pay my taxes on last year's value while the appeal is going on?
While an appeal is pending, Indiana law (IC 6-1.1-15-10) lets you pay taxes based on last year's assessed value instead of the higher contested amount. This delays the higher tax; it does not reduce it. If the appeal does not succeed, you will owe the difference, and paying less than the allowed amount can be treated as delinquent.
Your brief shows the amount on your numbers. For how to arrange it with the county, ask your representative. We do not tell anyone whether they should pay the lower amount.
- What is a Form 11?
- It is the official notice of assessment. Your county or township assessor mails it when the assessed value changes. It shows the new value and the date it was mailed. That date decides the appeal deadline. We need a copy for each property and each year before anything can be filed. If you cannot find it, check mail sent to the mailing address on your tax bill, or ask your assessor's office.
- What is the deadline?
- It depends on the date your Form 11 notice was mailed. If it was mailed before May 1, the deadline is June 15 of that assessment year. If it was mailed later, the deadline is June 15 of the year the tax statements are mailed (the later statement-year deadline). Until we have your Form 11, we work to the earliest possible deadline. Your representative confirms the date with you.
- My building is leased. Who pays?
- The owner of record signs the forms and the fee agreement, and our invoice goes to the owner. Whether you can pass property taxes, or the cost of the appeal, to your tenants depends on your leases. We do not interpret leases. During signup we ask a few questions about that. We can format the invoice for your CAM reconciliation, and we have a one-page explainer you can give tenants.
- Do you give legal advice?
- No. If your case needs an attorney, we give you a list of at least two attorneys, or you can pick anyone. No money moves between us and any attorney.