Although the housing market has been declining for a few years now, Florida home owners are trying to prove the reduced value of their properties. In counties all over the state, people have been appealing their property values, as they are applied towards determining tax assessments. However, the deadline for such appeals has now passed.
For example, in Ft. Lauderdale's Broward County, the appeals went up 9 percent to 32,411 filings. In Miami-Dade county, the appeals have not been counted, implying that an increasing number have been filed since last month's deadline. So far, over 69,000 appeals have recorded in the system. Robert Alfaro, the Value Adjustment Board Manager, said that he expects that appeals will surpass the 70,000 that were filed last year.
The reason for the flood of appeals is the unwavering tax payment rates. Even though house prices and property values have been plummeting, the increase in tax rates has caused tax payments to remain the same. One resident in Boca Raton, Sherman Lein, filed an appeal after the Palm Beach County property appraiser reduced his home value by $100,000. Unfortunately, his tax bill was actually higher than last year.
The slightly good news for the tax payers are the changes in the state law. Now, the burden to prove that the property is deemed at a certain values falls on the property appraiser's shoulders. In the past, it was the responsibility of the taxpayer to prove that an assessment was wrong.
You can find some of the best housing deals around Central Florida by visiting our Foreclosure page or visit our Communities page ad learn about the best neighborhoods around Central Florida.
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