SEPTEMBER 15TH IS THE LAST DAY FOR MANY CALIFORNIA HOMEOWNERS TO ASK FOR A PROPERTY TAX REDUCTION

The location of your property determines whetheris the most expeditious means of appealing your
next Monday is the last day to appeal your propertyproperty's assessed value. In most Counties, there is
taxes. Deadlines vary across the state so it isa form used to prepare a Prop. 8 temporary
important to know what the deadlines are for yourreduction in value request. Generally, you supplement
County. Under Proposition 8, homeowners are entitledthis form with comparables sales from your
to a temporary reduction in their property taxes dueneighborhood that will be evaluated by the Assessor.
to a decline in property value. This reduction is onlyIf a reduction is granted, then you'll get refund or a
available if your assessed value is more than thesmaller property tax bill.
market value of your home as of January 1, 2008.Since the process is informal, the published dates are
While homeowners in Los Angeles, San Diego, Sannot locked in stone and vary considerably by County.
Bernardino, to name a few, have more time,As you can see from this chart (most populous
homeowners in San Francisco, Orange County, SantaCounties), practices for informal property tax appeals
Clara only have until Monday, September 15th file avary widely from Orange County which locked the
property tax appeal.doors at the end of April 2008 to Alameda where
The confusion about appeal dates stems from thethe doors are open until the end of until April, 2009.
differences between the formal and informal processOn the other hand, formal appeals are either due on
for a property tax reduction. The informal appeal isSeptember 15th, 2008 or November 30th, 2008.
handled through each County's Assessor's office. This