Property Tax protest-101
Please follow the Dallas Property tax protest site at this link
Dead Line : 22nd May 2023
Website to file the online protest is at this link
Question : Should I file by myself or use a property tax protest company?
Answer : I used one such service few years back but not at all happy with their work.
They used to charge around $250 for first year and then 40% of amount reduced every year after that. Issues - 1) NO transparency in terms of what are their points to argue about(I know this is secret sauce but give me some hints at least)
2) Follow-up required - whether they have filed it or not?
Due to that I didn't renewed(they gave hard time to come out of their loop though).
Next time - I filed on my own and got the same results what they got for me in the past but this time - I had to put less time(& efforts) and I know what works or not as I talked directly to DCAD.
Sometimes bringing a layer only causes stress and more money😡
I advocate Do It Yourself.
What worked for me?
Let's say DCAD says that your property value is $900K and you want to protest and state no, not really it's not worth more than $750K. Now you have to provide pointers why DCAD should believe you that it indeed is not worth more than $750K
1. Provide list of repair related issues - the ones which are identified along with the estimate from vendors(in case you haven't fixed) it.
2. Provide Comps(comparison of nearby properties which are similar(sq feet wise) and in case their property tax evaluation by DCAD is lower than yours. For example, yours is around 3000 sq feet size property and evaluated at $650K then look for properties nearby(0.1 to 0.5 miles) which are in the range of 2750 sq ft to 3250 sq ft and evaluated lower than $650K.
For similar property search, please use this link
At the end of the search item, you should be able to create the excel sheet like this
I am attaching the excel sheet. Column E has the formula to calculate this for you.
3. Then prepare the document which contains everything and upload to the DCAD website.
4. When the protest starts, call DCAD customer service # 214-631-0910 (between 7:30 AM - 5:30 PM Monday - Thursday, and Friday 7:30 AM - 5:00 PM).
5. Insist on talking to evaluator or accessor. Accessor will ask you simple question, answer them in detail and nicely. Most of the folks are able to get their property tax reduced by 5% to 10% by merely talking to this person. Understand that most of the evaluators or accessors don't have time to go thru your documentation and will offer you 5% to 10% discount only because you protested and that too on your own. If you like the reduction, please accept it immediately.
6. Property tax protest company won't take your case if they see that they can't reduce it by more than $500 as it's not worth their time.
7. Some people didn't took 5% or 10% discount and instead went to DCAD office. After having 1.5 hours or 2 hours of conversation, they got the property tax reduced by almost 20% to 30%. If you have time, bandwidth, energy and motivation, please take that route also.
When filing Property tax protests, you will get this kind of message:
You qualify for a settlement offer under the uFile system. In order to receive consideration, you must do two things. First, you must enter an opinion of value on your property, and second, you must attach some type of documentation or evidence with your opinion of value. Without either one of these two submissions, the Appraisal District cannot make a settlement offer to you. The Appraisal District will review the opinion of value and the documentation and if it is determined that a settlement should be offered, the Appraisal District will contact you with the opportunity to accept the offer. If you decline the settlement offer, no further offers will be made under the uFile system. When you finalize the protest, you will be scheduled for a hearing before the Appraisal Review Board of Dallas County. If you have not heard from the Appraisal District with a settlement offer, you should participate in your scheduled hearing before the Appraisal Review Board at the designated time and place.
So you need to provide what you think is the right property value [it should not be too off :) ] along with protest document.
Please keep a PDF copy of your protest for future reference and save the email acknowledgement.
Happy Property tax protesting. Best of luck
Contact details for DCAD:
You may call us at the following numbers between
7:30 AM - 5:30 PM Monday - Thursday, and Friday 7:30 AM - 5:00 PM:
Customer Service: 214-631-0910
Main switchboard: 214-631-0520
Residential 214-905-9402
Email for Residential VALUE/PROPERTY Inquiries: ResidentialDepartment@dcad.org
