How to Appeal Property Tax Assessment

A Practical Guide to Challenging Your Property’s Assessed Value

If you believe your property tax bill is too high, you are not alone. Every year, millions of property owners successfully appeal the assessment of their property tax—often because the assessed value does not accurately reflect market value.

The key is understanding how property tax assessments work, why they are often wrong, and how to build a value-based property tax appeal that decision-makers will take seriously.

This guide explains the process step by step.

What Is a Property Tax Assessment?

Most counties tax real estate based on an estimate of market value, or a percentage of market value, as determined by the county assessor.

To value thousands (or hundreds of thousands) of properties efficiently, assessors use mass appraisal techniques, which rely on:

  • Statistical models

  • Broad neighborhood assumptions

  • Grouped property characteristics

  • Limited or no interior inspection

Mass appraisal is necessary—but it is not precise. As a result, individual properties are frequently overassessed.

Why Property Tax Assessments Are Often Too High

Appealing a property tax assessment is common because assessments can be inaccurate for many reasons, including:

  • Use of outdated sales data

  • Incorrect square footage, condition, or features

  • Overgeneralized neighborhood modeling

  • Failure to account for deferred maintenance

  • Ignoring functional or locational disadvantages

  • Applying “average” values to non-average properties

  • Market changes since the last reassessment cycle

When these issues exist, the assessed value may exceed what buyers would actually pay in the open market.

Is Appealing a Property Tax Assessment Worth It?

In many cases, yes.

A successful value appeal of property tax can:

  • Reduce your annual tax bill

  • Lower future assessments (depending on jurisdiction)

  • Provide relief during declining or flat markets

However, not every assessment is wrong. The purpose of an appeal is not to complain—it is to demonstrate, with evidence, that the assessed value does not reflect market reality.

How to Appeal a Property Tax Assessment (Step by Step)

Step 1: Review Your Assessment Carefully

Start by reviewing your assessment notice or assessor record. Confirm basic facts:

  • Property address and parcel number

  • Land size and building square footage

  • Property class and use

  • Condition and quality ratings

  • Assessment date (valuation date)

Factual errors alone can justify an appeal.

Step 2: Understand Your Local Appeal Rules

Each county or jurisdiction has its own:

  • Filing deadlines

  • Appeal forms

  • Evidence requirements

  • Hearing procedures

Missing a deadline can eliminate your right to appeal for the year, so timing matters.

Step 3: Focus on Market Value Evidence

The strongest property tax appeals are grounded in comparable sales, not opinions.

Typically persuasive evidence includes:

  • Recent sales of similar properties

  • Sales close to the valuation date

  • Properties in the same neighborhood or market area

  • Adjustments for size, condition, and features

Less persuasive evidence often includes:

  • Online estimates (e.g., Zillow)

  • Neighbor complaints or tax bills

  • Emotional arguments about fairness

  • Unsupported opinions of value

Appeal boards and assessors want market proof.

Step 4: Compare the Assessed Value to Comparable Sales

This is the heart of a property tax value appeal.

Ask:

  • Are similar properties selling for less than my assessed value?

  • Does my property have disadvantages not reflected in the assessment?

  • Is the assessment above typical market prices for comparable homes?

If the assessed value materially exceeds market evidence, you may have a strong appeal.

Step 5: Submit a Clear, Organized Appeal

Successful appeals are:

  • Concise

  • Data-driven

  • Easy to follow

  • Supported by comparable sales

Your goal is to make it easy for the reviewer to see the disconnect between the assessment and the market.

Common Mistakes That Cause Property Tax Appeals to Fail

Many property tax appeals are denied—not because the assessment is correct, but because the appeal is poorly presented.

Common mistakes include:

  • Submitting too many unrelated sales

  • Using sales from different markets

  • Focusing on taxes paid rather than value

  • Ignoring the valuation date

  • Arguing equity instead of market value

  • Providing no clear conclusion

An appeal should read like a market comparison, not a protest letter.

How Vallink Helps With Property Tax Appeals

Vallink provides a fast, market-focused analysis to help property owners determine whether an appeal is worth pursuing—and how to frame it.

The service:

  • Compares your assessed value to relevant comparable sales

  • Highlights potential overassessment issues

  • Organizes findings in a clear, usable format

  • Helps you focus on evidence that assessors care about

This is especially helpful if you’re unsure:

  • Whether your assessment is actually high

  • What evidence to submit

  • How to structure a value-based appeal

What Vallink Is (and Is Not)

Vallink is:

  • A preliminary property tax assessment review tool

  • Focused on market evidence

  • Designed to support value appeals

  • Fast and affordable

Vallink is not:

  • A guarantee of a reduced assessment

  • A formal appraisal

  • A substitute for legal or appraisal representation

  • A promise of success

Appeal outcomes depend on local rules and decision-makers—but strong evidence always improves your position.

Before You Appeal, Answer the Right Question

The most important question is not:

“Do I think my taxes are too high?”

It is:

“Does my assessed value exceed what similar properties sell for?”

Vallink helps you answer that question quickly—so you can decide whether to appeal, and how to do it effectively.

Begin Request

Ready To Get Started?

Begin Request