How Do I Appeal a Property Appraisal Decision?

The need for appeal may arise when you don’t agree with the property appraisal decision rendered by the appraiser. It could be as a result of a genuine omission or commission or you may feel shortchanged and that the results do not reflect the real value of your property. In such a case, the law entitles to appeal the decision. But before you make the final resolve to launch the appeal, you need to know if you reasons for appeal are actually within the confines of the law. Here are some of the grounds under which you may proceed with the appeal process-:

• When allowances for physical depreciation of the property were not considered
• When the rates used on the appraisal were not based in the average current cost incurred during improvements done to the property.
• No adjustments made to cater for the declining costs of installing or constructing improvements of similar nature or functionality.

When you are satisfied that you have adequate grounds to launch an appeal to challenge the property appraisal decision, discussed below are the detailed steps you need to take-:

1. Confirm the details on your Appraisal Notice – Go through the details in your Appraisal Notice so that you can ascertain for the very last time that the property appraisal decision made does not reflect the actual value of your property at the time the appraisal was done.
2. Share your concerns with the property appraisers – your property appraiser will be pleased to go through the appraisal decision and share with you how the appraisal was conducted and how they arrived at the decision, as well as the various factors they had taken into consideration. Feel free to refer to at least four properties of similar statue to yours and ask for a comparison to be done vis-à-vis your property. If after all these you are still unhappy with the decision, then you can request for a formal review.
3. Written Formal Review – In the event that your concerns are not satisfied above, you will be required to put in a formal request for a review in writing. In the request, you must include the following-:
   1. Your full name and mailing address
   2. Contact details, including home and business phone numbers
   3. the appraisal roll number
   4. Legal description of the property in question
   5. Why you want the review done
   6. Full details of the agents if you had appointed any
4. Setting date and venue for the review – after you have formally submitted your request for review, you will be advised on the date and venue where you will be required to attend the independent review.
5. Attending the review – once the date and venue is set, all you have to do is wait for the review date. On the material day, you will be expected to furnish the panel with relevant information to support your claims. These may include but not limited to the following-:
   1. Photos of your property and the property you are comparing it to.
   2. Comparable appraisals to property with the same statue as yours in the neighborhood.
   3. An independent appraisal report or an opinion value in case you had organized for one.
6. Following the Independent Review – the panel will render it’s decision almost immediately after the hearing is done. You will then later be supplied with the formal notification of the panel’s decision in writing.

If you are still not satisfied with the panel’s decision after the review, you have the option of lodging another appeal with the Property Assessment Appeal Board.