New guide facilitiates property tax appeals

Board of Realtors' pamphlet could be helpfulBoard of Realtors' pamphlet could be helpfulto U. faculty living in the city Philadelphia has one of the highest real estate tax rates in the country, according to Philadelphia Board of Realtors spokesperson Leni Uddyback. This may create an extra financial burden for the many University faculty members who live within the city's perimeter. The administration encourages University employees to live in West Philadelphia by guaranteeing 100 percent of their mortgages in case of default. But city residents now have a new weapon in the war against high property assessments. With the help of the city's Real Property Assessment and Appeals Office, the Board of Realtors promoted their new guide to appealing private property assessments at a forum in the Union League Wednesday. "This is an issue that often leaves city residents, especially those on a fixed income, feeling hopeless and fearful," said Board of Realtors President Jeff Boyer in his opening remarks. "We're trying to educate the community that the process works, not change the process." Against the backdrop of a statue of Abraham Lincoln and an engraved wall bearing the Gettysburg address, Philadelphia attorney Samuel Rappaport stepped to the podium to offer some advice on the appeals process. An assessment is a measure of what an interested buyer would have to pay a disinterested owner to convince him to sell his house, Rappaport said. This means that in most cases, the assessment will be higher than what the house would actually sell for. "Go in and talk to your assessor, bring the facts," Rappaport advised homeowners with questions about their property taxes. Rappaport added that it is not usually economical for an individual to hire an attorney for help with an assessment appeal. But, he said, it is sometimes worthwhile for a group of 20 or more homeowners in the same neighborhood to hire a lawyer for a group appeal. David Glancey, who chairs the Philadelphia Board of Revision of Taxes -- which hears assessment appeals -- praised the Board of Realtor's brochure on the appeals process. "I think it's a terrific, terrific piece of literature," Glancey said. "I wholeheartedly endorse it." Glancey said his office's assessors do not always have all the pertinent information when assessing a house. He therefore advised individuals appealing their assessment to clearly state in their appeal anything that would lower the property value of their house. He said certain factors may help lower an assessment -- a crack in the house's foundation, a nearby shopping center that creates traffic, a basement that fills with water when it rains or a topography problem that affects the landscape of the area. "We simply want the information. We want to be fair to everybody," Glancey said. The appeals deadline for this year is October 2. Glancey said private property assessment appeals are heard between November and March. The Board of Revision will make a ruling on all appeals by December 31 before the year the assessment is due, Glancey said. The Board of Realtors brochure advises several steps to help with your appeal. ·If you are appealing an assessment on a newly bought house, make an extra copy of your settlement sheet for the assessor. · Get a written copy of what similar properties have sold for recently. · Take pictures of your property to bring to the assessor. Philadelphia tax appeal forms are available at the Board of Revision of Taxes at 34 South 11th St. To receive the Board of Realtors' brochure, write to 226 South 16th St.