Owners have the opportunity to challenge their reviews before the DuPage County Review Board each year. The period within which an opposition may be filed ends thirty days after the publication of the list of municipal decisions. You can view the publication dates of the assessment and the corresponding deadlines of the Board of Revisors for each municipality on this website. Challenging your taxes is a research project that requires attention to detail and a commitment to finding the best possible information about your property and comparable properties. Therefore, many homeowners choose to use the experience and expertise of a lawyer in this process. If you are considering hiring a lawyer or other qualified person to appeal your tax notice on your behalf, be sure to attach a letter to your complaint file to the audit committee authorizing that person to act on your behalf in this matter. An owner must provide evidence to support their assessment complaint. This evidence should include three (or more) comparable characteristics. These likes should have similar characteristics to the subject, preferably in the same neighborhood. Most counties have a strict time frame within which you can file your appeal.
For example, residents of DuPage County have 30 days from the date the review is published to submit the complaint form and additional documentation to the Review Board. The last day an objection is filed is usually indicated on your notice of assessment. All documents must be duly completed and sent to the board of directors before this date, otherwise the resident will be excluded from contesting his tax contributions. If you contact the local assessment officer while they still have the assessment books, they may be able to resolve the issue without a formal appeal. Either way, it`s a good idea to meet with the local manager and get at least an explanation of how the score was calculated. It may be too late to appeal your property assessment for this year, which you will pay for next year. So you may not be able to do anything about the property tax you`re paying this year. In many counties, residents are required to complete a housing grid form and compare the specific characteristics of the property in question with other properties with similar characteristics recently sold in the neighborhood. Specific features often include: the area of the land, the building and basement, the age of the building, the number of bathrooms, air conditioning, fireplaces, swimming pools, terraces, etc. It is important to find comparable properties with as many similar features as possible to your property. Taking the time to get accurate information and fill out the forms carefully is the most important step in the process.
If you complete the forms in their entirety and provide the best possible documentation, you should hear from the Review Board with a scheduled hearing date. At the hearing, you can prove to the audit committee that the valuation of your property is inaccurate by using the evidence collected previously. Please note that many counties require that all documents be provided to the Review Board by the assessment complaint due date, which means that additional documents cannot be sent later or presented at your hearing. That being said, some counties allow a review to be submitted within a certain time frame after the due date. For example, DuPage County allows residents to file an exam by a licensed Illinois state appraiser within 10 days of the exam complaint`s due date. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Review Board has decided not to hold in-person hearings regarding the health and safety of all parties involved in appeals. The Board`s decision is based on the evidence presented by the Appellant and the Assessor for the appeal in question. Your audit committee can also provide you with the form you need to file a complaint. It`s short (about a page).
There is no registration fee. Seven steps to appeal an assessment (except agriculture/coal) Once it is clear that the deadline has not yet expired, you must complete the necessary forms and provide additional documents before the technical committee agrees to represent your position. Valuations can be challenged for two reasons: (1) the property has been valued at more than one-third (1/3) of its market value or sale price, or (2) the property has been valued at an amount that is not consistent with the rest of the community[…].
