Tax reduction deadline extended to March 17

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Should a homeowner or commercial property owner think the amount of property taxes they are paying is too high and does not reflect the property’s value, they can file an appeal with the Nassau County Assessment Review Commission, and the deadline to do that has now been extended to March 17, due to the March 10 snowstorm, county officials said.

Property owners can file the grievance themselves or hire a firm that regularly handles tax reduction cases. The companies evaluate the claim, file the grievance and represent the client before the Assessment Review Commission.
If the property owner is not satisfied with the commission’s administrative review, the next step is a Small Claims Assessment Review proceeding in court.

Small Claims Assessment Review hearings are less common now than in the past, especially for homeowners due to the county’s effective use of the process, according to Ilyse Sternberg, a partner in Maidenbaum & Sternberg, LLP, with 25 years of experience. “Typically you would file and it took years as it winds its way through court, now ARC is more willing to settle cases,” she said previously.

That change came about a few years ago, when the county began to resolve most appeals through administrative reviews of assessments. Nassau County is settling tax grievances prior to demanding payment from our homeowners. County officials have said that this has saved taxpayers $28 million annually.

Homeowners should have an assessment review done annually to help ensure that they are paying the proper amount of tax.

Understanding how to gauge property value and differentiate between homes is a tricky process. Assessing residential properties is easier than commercial sites.

When choosing a company to present a tax reduction claim, prospective clients should be cautious about possible hidden fees such as collection costs. Homeowners should look into any tax exemptions that they could be entitled to such as Enhanced STAR (School Tax Relief) for seniors. Experts in the field believe that professional presentation is better than property owners representing themselves.

Fred Perry, of the Fred Perry Property Tax Reduction Group, LLC, in Dix Hills. Said that his research indicates about one-third of Nassau homeowners are still highly over-assessed and appreciably over-paying property taxes.

His firm has more than 25 years helping Nassau homeowners reduce their property taxes. “But most Nassau homeowners see a low valuation on county records or notices and wrongfully assume they could not win a protest where they have to prove a lower valuation,” he said in the past.