The Common Law

Protesting High Property Taxes

My property taxes are way too high. How do I challenge high property taxes?

File a written protest. A written notice of protest will be considered valid if it identifies the owner and the property being protested and clearly indicates that you disagree with the appraisal district's decision. An easy way to file a written protest is to download and submit the protest form provided by the Travis Central Appraisal District (www.traviscad.org/formlist.htm).

Keep in mind that there is a deadline to file a notice of protest of your property's value. As a general rule, the deadline will be the later of the following dates: 1) May 31 or 2) 30 days after the appraisal district mailed a notice of appraised value (note that it's not when you received the notice; rather, it is when the notice was mailed, so be sure to look at the correct date). There is a handful of exceptions that would allow people to file a late protest (full-time military, offshore workers, etc.).

Not sure whether you want to protest your property taxes? Some of the factors the Texas Comptroller's Office suggests a property owner should consider to determine whether a protest would be appropriate include:

• Is the property valued unequally when compared with other properties in the appraisal district?

• Did the appraisal district deny a relevant exemption (homestead exemption, disabled veteran exemption, etc.)?

• Do the appraisal records show an incorrect owner or identify the wrong property?

• Is the property being taxed by the wrong taxing units (i.e., the tax records show the property in the incorrect school district)?

If the answer to any of these questions is yes, the property owner may want to give consideration to protesting the property's value for property-tax purposes. Read next week's column for tips on how to prepare a good argument for a tax value protest.