It is now the middle of May, and notices of value for most Texas counties have been out for several weeks. The time for multifamily property owners to decide whether they should appeal their noticed value has come (and may have passed in some jurisdictions). Under most circumstances, Texas law requires property owners wishing to file a protest of their noticed value to file a written protest by May 15th or 30 days after the delivery of the notice, whichever comes later, as spelled out in section §41.44(a) of the Texas Tax Code.
However, it is common for property owners to miss this deadline, especially following the eventful year that was 2020 and the Artic freeze of 2021. For those that have made this mistake, there is still hope to reduce your taxable value.
Texas Loves its Taxpayers
As stated in previous articles, Texas is pro-taxpayer. They care about their citizens’ rights and offer them numerous avenues for tax relief. Taxable property values are no different. For property owners who missed the deadline to appeal their value, there is still a route for getting a reduction. Texas Tax Code §25.25 provides a taxpayer the opportunity to force a “Correction of Appraisal Roll”. This can be done by proving one of the following:
- There has been a significant error on valuing the property
- The appraised value exceeds one-third the correct value
The law is unclear what defines an “error” in this context, but some general examples are:
- Incorrect square footage of a building
- Calculation errors
- Boundary/taxing power issues
These have been some acceptable arguments in reducing values under Texas Tax Code §25.25. The Texas Comptroller’s website has a form you can fill out and file if you believe you can meet the above requirements.
You are Not Alone
While a section §25.25 protest is the most common method for reducing values after a deadline passes, there are still several other options for taxpayers with unique circumstances surrounding their notices and properties. If you are a multifamily property owner and your deadline for filing an appeal has passed, do not throw in the towel just yet! Contact a multifamily property tax expert today and learn your rights as a Texas taxpayer.
