Few phrases and words make us cringe harder than “root canal,” “you’re fired,” “low-sodium diet,” and “it’s not you, it’s me.” But one term that has everyone in Allegheny County running for the hills is “property reassessment.” The impending 2012 reassessments for city and Mt. Oliver properties will be mailed as early as December 2011. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from CLT Appraisal Services, who has been hired to do the majority of the reassessment work.
The $11 million court-ordered reassessment presents a small problem with those of Allegheny County who find their neighbors in buttressing counties using property values that are more than 10 years old in some cases. City residents will have their properties assessed first, and informal hearings will take place in December 2011 and January 2012. Formal appeals should be filed by February 3, 2012.
Timetables are tight, and with new computer technology being introduced as well as special acts adjusting the market value for some properties (“special acts” would include the county homestead exemption), the county assessors and CLT are concerned that delays could ensue. They are, however, being held to a strict deadline, and have been directed to use whatever professional measures are necessary (read: “OVERTIME”) to have the job completed on schedule.
Those living outside of city boundaries will most likely receive their reassessments in late spring of 2012 with informal and formal appeals to follow.
Luckily, there are a few things that home and property owners can do at present to help make this unsavory venture a little less complicated:
Make sure that your address is accurate! Allegheny County has two addresses for each parcel (the Change Notice Mailing Address and the Tax Bill Mailing Address). To make sure that your change notices are getting to the right place, it’s important that you let the county know which address you prefer. For instance, those who own homes probably do not want their assessment going to their mortgage company. This is a risk if you don’t specify which address they should use.
Go to http://www2.county.allegheny.pa.us/RealEstate/Default.aspx and type in your property address. At the bottom of the “General Information” tab, your two addresses will be listed.
If you need to change your address information, go to http://www.county.allegheny.pa.us/re/addrchg.aspx. Fill out the Request for Address Change Form, and submit.
Note that the website instructions direct users to notify the Department of Real Estate AS WELL AS the County Treasurer's office; however, submitting the form mentioned above eliminates the need to submit to the County Treasurer's office.
Get your info in order! Commercial property owners should have the last three years’ worth of rent rolls, the lease, three years’ worth of income statements, and building structure details like building size, site plans, acreage, etc. for those properties occupied by the owner.
Residential property owners can start gathering info on sale prices in their neighborhood, repair costs and estimates for their own home, and visual proof/images of current problems” with their home.
With preparation, knowledge, and a lot of deep breathing, county reassessment can be a little less of a nightmare and go much more smoothly. Good luck, Allegheny County property owners!!!!!!
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