Source
r/Edmonton•
anduin1

Anyone ever try to dispute the city's property tax assessment?

I'm just looking over the tax notice they sent me for this year and it made my eyes go big. They're basically saying my house rose 15% in value in the last year (lol) and my property tax value rose by about 40% from last year as a result. ~$2050 -> $2860. So is this just a mad grab for tax dollars by the city this year or is something else going on? So I'm wondering if any of you have ever gone through challenging it and been successful?

Posted May 26, 2015, 12:46 AM UTC

112
DragoShouldHaveWonSouth West Side•

There's a good chance the market value of your property did rise by 15%.

Also, you can't dispute a tax notice. You can only dispute an assessment notice, and you're too late.

14
EdmRealtorGrovenor•

^THIS

4
anduin1OP•

Yea, I figured once the bill came there would little I could do but maybe next year!

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DragoShouldHaveWonSouth West Side•

Generally speaking, take a look at what the housing market for your property type did in the previous year. The more local, the more accurate. If the number you come up with is within 1% of what your assessed value is, then it's not worth going further. For insurance purposes, you actually want it a bit inflated to capture any potential changes since the valuation date (Dec 31)

From the date of the assessment notice, you have 60 days to file an appeal. You also have the right to have the valuation process explained to you and what analysis was used to determine your property's value vs your neighbours properties. Your rights to a complaint are outlined in section 309(1) of the Municipal Government Act, as well as the Matters Relating to Assessment Complaints Regulation.

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EdmRealtorGrovenor•

It typically requires three separate appraisals from what I heard. Did you have any renewal levies on there. Trust me you are not alone on that eye widening today.

3
anduin1OP•

Yea my renewal levy share is $29 for the neighborhood. Are the appraisals done by the same guys you would hire privately or are these city appraisers?

2
EdmRealtorGrovenor•

Well I was going through and they will accept a realtor assessment of value as evidence.

Legislation The Municipal Government Act, RSA 2000, c M-26, reads:

s 1(1)(n) “market value” means the amount that a property, as defined in section

284(1)(r), might be expected to realize if it is sold on the open market by a willing seller to a willing buyer; s 467(1) An assessment review board may, with respect to any matter referred to in

section 460(5), make a change to an assessment roll or tax roll or decide that no change is required.

s 467(3) An assessment review board must not alter any assessment that is fair and equitable, taking into consideration

(a) the valuation and other standards set out in the regulations,

(b) the procedures set out in the regulations, and

(c) the assessments of similar property or businesses in the same municipality.

http://edmontontribunals.ca/assessment-review-board.aspx

2
dont_worry2012•

Too late to dispute your assesment.

3
mauriceh•

Yes, check the facts first though. For example, in my previous house there was a garage separated from the house by a breezeway.

They showed the garage as "attached"

I wrote to them to protest this, they inspected, and my taxes went down over $600 per year.

3
spectacular_coitusAlberta Ave.•

My assessment went up 25%. I saw a vacant commercial unit I was looking at buying and it's assessment had doubled in the last year.

The arena must be over budget.

2
neumanicHolyrood•

Remember your tax bill is made up of both city property tax and provincial school tax. Both are tied to assessed value, but they will change at different rates. And it's not unreasonable that your property may have increased that much in value. Note also that the city uses assessment models generally but will go in and reassess certain neighbourhoods each year; if you're in one of those neighbourhoods you can see a bigger than usual swing in assessed value.

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stfurtfm•

My coworker does it every year, citing sold houses on her street, balconies, developed basements, etc. They'll go and do an assessment, lower her property value, then the next year it'll go right back up again.

My neighbor bought her house for 640k after being listed for 800k and assessed for 850k in 2013.. the next assessment period she disputed and an assessor came out to check out the place, found that she had a developed basement, air conditioning, and told her the assessed rate should be higher.

It's still bullocks though, with the First Place program building subsidized townhomes across the street I frankly don't see how we'd get assessed values for our houses upon completion of that project.

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