Most commercial property owners pay their tax bill no questions asked. However, operating on autopilot can be costly. Chances are favorable that the assessment you receive in February or March of this year is going to be high. The over fair market value assessment will lead to paying more than your fair share of property taxes, consuming funds that could be used elsewhere to support your business. But, you have a limited time to appeal.
Assessors in Kansas use mandated mass appraisal techniques and market averages to estimate your property’s market value annually. Often simple factual, clerical, and methodology errors are made. Bottom line, they don’t know the specifics of your property, nor do they have the time to review it. Instead, your property is lumped in with thousands of properties in the same area.
You have two opportunities to challenge the current assessment levied against your property by the county assessor’s office. The first is in February or March when the Notices of Appraised Value are mailed to property owners. Deadline for filing an informal appeal is 30 days subsequent to the postmark date of mailing of the Notice of Appraised Value. The second time to appeal is by payment under protest. That deadline is in December or the following May.
Once the appeal process has started, it is best to follow through until you are satisfied with the results. If an appeal is abandoned, paying under protest for the same property and tax year will not be accepted.
Need help? Schedule a free tax appeal consultation with MarksNelson today. Our professionals have the know-how to maneuver through the regulatory obstacle course and successfully secure a fair market value for your commercial property.
