When to Appeal Property Tax Assessments
When to Appeal Property Tax Assessments
With commercial real estate values down by as much as 50 percent in the last two to three years in the Saint Paul/Minneapolis area, the property tax attorneys of Robert Hill Law, Ltd. understand the pain experienced by commercial property owners when they get a tax bill based on what their properties used to be worth. Our experienced Minneapolis/Saint Paul-based property tax lawyers have an outstanding record of success in helping commercial property owners appeal such unfair tax assessments.
Types of appeals in Minneapolis/Saint Paul
Property tax lawyers at our firm can offer invaluable advice and assistance at any stage of the appeals process. As an aggrieved taxpayer, you have a right to apply—called an administrative appeal—to local tax authorities to contest your property assessment and request a change in your assessment to fair market value. But it is rare for reductions to be made at that point. Often, we find that clients have better success in obtaining relief by appealing their property assessments directly to the Minnesota Tax Court.
Pay attention to the deadline for filing an appeal
Minnesota’s tax laws dictate that property taxes are paid in arrears. The assessor establishes your property value each year on January 2, but you do not pay the taxes based on that assessment until May 15 and October 15 of the following year. This time interval is designed to allow taxpayers more than a year of opportunity to appeal their assessments. The deadline to appeal with the Minnesota Tax Court is April 30th of the year the taxes are due.
What to do while your appeal is pending
Our property tax lawyers at Robert Hill Law, Ltd. advise that in the Minneapolis/Saint Paul area there are often backlogs in the assessors’ offices and in the court, and that you should expect your appeal to take as much as a year or more. While your appeal is pending, you must continue to pay your property taxes when they are due. However, if and when you are awarded a property valuation reduction, you will receive a refund of the overpaid taxes with interest.
Contact our Minneapolis/St. Paul property tax attorney at Robert Hill Law, Ltd.
If you feel your property taxes assessment is too high, it is important to act quickly. You must file your tax appeal by April 30 of the year your property tax becomes payable or risk losing your chance to appeal. If you would like to learn more about the appeals process and how our firm can help, do not hesitate to contact the Robert Hill Law, Ltd. property tax law firm in Saint Paul/Minneapolis today. We have the skill and expertise to help you obtain relief from your excessive taxes.