Allegheny County Property Mailing
County Answers Questions
The county has published on-line a "2010 Data Mailer FAQs" answering some of the property owners most asked questions:
Q: Do I have to mail the form back?
Q: Will my taxes go up?
Q: When is the reassessment?
Read closely the County's Answers. The county acknowledges that the responses are voluntary and not mandatory. It can be a difficult decision. Some clients have called and asked whether they are safer to send the form back as correct, hoping that assessors will not visit their property. I don't think the county really has the money or resources to send assessors to 600,000 properties. I think the county will send assessors only to major or square footage changes.
You need to be very careful about sending the information to the county, because their form states that if there is a discrepancy in the data, that they then will send assessors to your verify the data reported. Meaning inspections of the property.
So in essence, by being honest and returning their form, you could be inviting assessors to your property and inside your home, possibly to raise your property taxes.
It would be a very interesting legal battle to see the following:
What if a property owner returned the data sheet indicating that their square footage was actually 50% less than what the county records showed? What if the county then sent a county assessor to visit the property and verify the discrepancy? What if the homeowner did not allow the assessor inside their home and the county sued for access?
If the county attempts to force an assessor into your home, we will represent you for free. Absolutely no charges. I strongly believe that Allegheny County, Pennsylvania does not have the constitutional right to force entry into a private residence with the possibility of raising property taxes. That is a fight worth fighting.
The county has published on-line a "2010 Data Mailer FAQs" answering some of the property owners most asked questions:
Q: Do I have to mail the form back?
Q: Will my taxes go up?
Q: When is the reassessment?
Read closely the County's Answers. The county acknowledges that the responses are voluntary and not mandatory. It can be a difficult decision. Some clients have called and asked whether they are safer to send the form back as correct, hoping that assessors will not visit their property. I don't think the county really has the money or resources to send assessors to 600,000 properties. I think the county will send assessors only to major or square footage changes.
You need to be very careful about sending the information to the county, because their form states that if there is a discrepancy in the data, that they then will send assessors to your verify the data reported. Meaning inspections of the property.
So in essence, by being honest and returning their form, you could be inviting assessors to your property and inside your home, possibly to raise your property taxes.
It would be a very interesting legal battle to see the following:
What if a property owner returned the data sheet indicating that their square footage was actually 50% less than what the county records showed? What if the county then sent a county assessor to visit the property and verify the discrepancy? What if the homeowner did not allow the assessor inside their home and the county sued for access?
If the county attempts to force an assessor into your home, we will represent you for free. Absolutely no charges. I strongly believe that Allegheny County, Pennsylvania does not have the constitutional right to force entry into a private residence with the possibility of raising property taxes. That is a fight worth fighting.
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