FAQs
General Property Tax Protesting FAQs
Why didn't I get a Notice of Appraised Value this year?
You may only receive a Notice of Appraised Value if there was a value change or if there was an ownership change. The county is required to send a Notice of Appraised Value if your property value increases. Even if your property value didn't change from one year to the next, it still may be overvalued due to market variation.
Can I protest my property's value? When? How?
All property owners who are taxed based on the value of their property may protest the Noticed Appraised Value at their respective County Appraisal District. This is available even if no Notice of Appraised Value is received by the owner. This is done by filing a Notice of Protest with the county appraisal district by May 15.
Will I have to re-protest each year?
Changes in property value may vary year to year due to many factors. Re-protesting each year may or may not be necessary depending on the specific property.
Clients of Resolute Property Tax Solutions will have their property taxes protested each year. If nothing else, this is to keep track of values from year to year. If the value is not reduced, nothing is owed to the company.
Resolute clients will have this process completed for them as a part of our service.
Could this make my property sell for less in the future?
County values are based on mass appraisal and used solely for taxation purposes.
Will protesting my property taxes take much time or effort?
This is a difficult question to answer. Each protest may take anywhere from 5 minutes to an hour to complete either informally or formally. If nothing is resolved in the informal hearing, an Appraisal Review Board hearing must be scheduled for another time. Between preparing evidence and attending hearings, one could be looking at several hours of work.
Resolute does all this work for you. Our all-in-one service offers the convenience and experience to do the job efficiently and thoroughly.
When will I get my Notice of Appraised Value?
Depending on the county, notices will go out sometime between early March and mid April.
Is it common to protest property taxes?
Approximately 10% of residential property owners in the DFW area protest their property taxes. This number is less than the percentage of residential property protests in similar metropolitan areas in Texas. Commercial property owners protest more often than residential property owners out of business necessity.
How much does Resolute charge?
For residential clients, Resolute works on a contingency basis where our commission is 40% of the realized tax savings. If we can't reduce your property taxes, you don't pay us anything.
For commercial property owners, each property will have to be reviewed to determine an appropriate commission percentage. Contact us for property specific details.
What if I want to protest multiple properties?
We can handle as many property protests as you would like. Once an account is created for you as a client, you can add as many properties to that account as you would like. New contracts will need to be signed, but that is a very simple process which takes under 10 minutes.
Do I need to sign up with Resolute each year?
No. We use perpetuity contracts so we can perform services each year without bothering the clients with time consuming and environmentally wasteful paperwork.
Is it difficult to sign up with Resolute?
Not at all. Our one-time sign-up process can be done in just a few minutes - online or over the phone. Our contracts can even be signed via Esignature and payments can be processed online as well. We've gone to every effort to provide every convenience.
Business Personal Property (BPP) FAQs
What is BPP?
BPP is ‘business personal property’ which can be defined as tangible personal property that is used for the production of income. This can include things such as machinery, equipment, furniture, fixtures, inventory, and other assets that a business owns and uses to operate. It can also include work in process for manufacturing purposes.
How does the appraisal district value BPP?
It’s a bit of a hybrid method, unlike real property valuation. They allow property owners to ‘render’ their own value based on asset lists, purchase prices and depreciation models.However if the county doesn’t agree with that value, they may choose not to accept it and assess their own value to the property.
Can I appeal if the appraisal district doesn’t accept my rendered BPP value?
Yes, but you must still do it timely. We suggest filing a protest on your BPP value on or before May 15, regardless of knowing your Noticed Value for the year. Even if you find out later that they have accepted your rendered value, you can always withdraw that protest after the fact. But you can’t file a protest after the deadline.
Is there a deadline to render BPP?
Yes, April 15 of each year is the deadline to render for a BPP property. If you didn’t receive a notice in the mail, you can always call the appraisal district and ask for a rendition form or spreadsheet. You may also file an extension on or before April 15 if needed. But a non-receipt of notice does not excuse a late rendered value.
Is there a penalty for not rendering my BPP value?
Yes, if a property owner fails to file the required rendition or property report for BPP, a penalty is imposed equal to 10% of the total taxes due on the property for that tax year. Additionally, if a rendition is filed late, after the deadline, and without an approved extension, the penalty can be up to 10% of the taxes due on the property.
If the county is relying on me to help create the value, can I just make up a lower value than what it’s actually worth?
That’s a bad idea. Tax code says that if a property owner fraudulently files an incomplete or false rendition, the penalty can be up to 50% of the taxes ultimately due on the property.
What if I’m not sure how to complete a BPP rendition?
Call Resolute Property Tax Solutions. We can help you with the process or complete and file the rendition on your behalf. Should the county not accept the value we rendered for you, we’ll appeal the value they’ve assessed.
Commercial Property Tax FAQs
What is considered a “commercial property”?
Tax code defines a commercial property as a real property used for business activities. While broad, there are some exceptions. A rental property used for living purposes is not considered “commercial” in most counties as long as it is 4 units or less; quadruplexes, triplexes, duplexes, and single family residences are, more often than not, considered residential property.
Are apartment complexes considered commercial or residential?
Again, remember the 4 units or less guideline. Additionally, in this case you have to view it from the perspective of the owner. It’s used to generate large sums of income (i.e. - business activity) and therefore a commercial property.
Are commercial properties valued differently than residential properties?
To a certain extent, yes. Commercial property that can be considered ‘income producing’ (could receive rents) may be valued on an income approach instead of a cost basis approach. If the district doesn’t know a property’s specific financial information (rents received, occupancies, operating expenses), they are left with using market data. Market data may accurately reflect the situation for some, but certainly not for all.
What if I occupy the commercial space with my own business? Should it still be valued on an income approach?
In theory, if the highest and best use of that property would be income producing then the income approach could still be used to value.
What type of evidence or supporting documentation is needed from a commercial property owner to help the protest case?
If the property is income producing (collecting rents) then financial reports from the previous full tax year will be needed. This would include a P&L statement and a Rent Roll report showing space occupied and rents received. Additionally, damage repair estimates or photos could help indicate that the property is in a lesser condition than the appraisal district currently indicates it to be in.
How is vacant land designated?
Vacant land can be designated as either commercial or residential by most districts, and they usually are assigned based on zoning for that property. Vacant land found in a business district will likely be designated as commercial, while vacant land in a residential neighborhood will likely be classified as residential.
Why is the fee rate for commercial property lower than that for residential?
Since commercial property is usually higher in value than the average residential property and because commercial property doesn’t receive exemptions like residential, we believe that the fee rate should be lower.
Looking for more? Check out our article on common Property Tax Myths.