How to fight your Atlanta property assessment hike
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Metro Atlanta homeowners gobsmacked by a sudden jump in their property assessment should prepare for battle.
Why it matters: Georgia law gives residents one opportunity a year to appeal the assessment and potentially end up with a lower — and for three years following, frozen — property tax amount owed.
Catch up quick: Every spring, county tax officials tell homeowners that their property's assessed value — one of two factors used to calculate property tax bills — increased, decreased or stayed the same.
State of play: Property owners have 45 days from the date in the notice to file an appeal. Deadlines vary by county — DeKalb's is July 18, and Fulton's is Aug. 1.
- To appeal the assessment, head to your county's website for filing guidance.
Zoom in: Double-check your property info on your county's qPublic database — for mistaken square footage, miscalculations, etc. — and review 2024 comparable sales only, property tax attorney Bryan Hallock told Axios.
- "If your story is the market has turned in the last few months, that's going to be a next-year appeal."
How it works: If you choose to have your appeal heard by the county's Board of Equalization, bring your homework and a pleasant attitude to present your data-driven argument.
- The board will review your materials, tell you your fate and move on to the next case. All in all, Hallock said, the process takes roughly 15 minutes.
Zoom out: A lower assessment means your tax bill is capped for three years.
Yes, but: If all this talk of comps and qPublic makes your head spin, you can hire a firm to manage your appeal for a fee or a share of the savings.
- Hallock prefers clients contact his firm before they file the appeal so he can shepherd the case and avoid pitfalls.
Caveat: It's rare, Hallock said, but your assessment could increase.
- The board might discover you have a finished basement that's not reflected in county records.
The bottom line: Review your assessment and appeal if you think it's high or based on bad information. You just might save some cash.