Appeal Your Property Tax Bill to Save Money

property tax appealWhile it might seem logical to be happy about an increasing home value, when it comes to the tax assessor’s office you want your value to be as low as possible.  Since your property tax bill is based on your assessed value, convincing the government that your home is worth less than they say it is can save you money.

The county is not always correct in their assessment and there are steps you can take to appeal your taxes and get changes made:

Make Sure You Meet the Deadline

Once you receive your assessment, you have only 30 days to file an appeal.  Make sure you are aware of the specific deadline for your property’s location.  Contact our office at 847-223-1500 as soon as you get your blue property tax card to assure there will be time to assemble your case.

From the Lake County Tax Assessment office as of 8/6/20:

2020 Filing Deadlines and Decision Mailed Dates

Township Newspaper Tentative Assessment Roll Publication Date
(* = Tentative)
Final Filing Dates
Antioch Lake County Journal 8/27/2020*
Avon Lake County Journal 8/20/2020*
Benton Lake County News Sun 7/30/2020 8/31/2020
Cuba Barrington Courier Review 8/6/2020 9/8/2020
Ela Lake Zurich Courier 8/27/2020*
Fremont Mundelein Review 8/6/2020 9/8/2020
Grant Lake County Journal 8/20/2020*
Lake Villa Lake County Journal 8/27/2020*
Libertyville Libertyville Review and Vernon Hills Review 8/20/2020*
Moraine Highland Park News 8/6/2020 9/8/2020
Newport Lake County News Sun 8/13/2020 9/14/2020
Shields Lake Forester 7/30/2020 8/31/2020
Vernon Buffalo Grove Countryside, Lincolnshire Review and Vernon Hills Review 9/3/2020*
Warren Lake County News Sun 9/3/2020*
Wauconda Lake County Journal 8/13/2020 9/14/2020
Waukegan Lake County News Sun 9/3/2020*
West Deerfield Deerfield Review and Lake Forester 8/13/2020 9/14/2020
Zion Lake County News Sun 7/30/2020 8/31/2020

 

Understand Assessment Ratios

If your home’s value seems low on your assessment, they may be using an “assessed value”, which is only a percentage of the full market value.  You can confirm this on the assessor’s website before building your case.

Make Sure Your Property Information is Accurate

We can request a copy of the internal notes and data the assessor used when determining the value of your home and verify that they used the correct lot size, house age, room count for bedrooms and bathrooms, or anything else that might affect the value.  We also make sure they compared your house to similar homes based on size, age, etc.

Hire an Attorney to Help in the Process

There are many details to consider during the appeal process and even if you present a good case, the assessor does not have to agree with you.  Often times they will do their best to defend their original estimate.  A qualified attorney can make a significant difference in a successful appeal.

The attorneys at Churchill, Quinn, Richtman & Hamilton in Grayslake are experienced in reducing property tax liability.  We will provide a free evaluation to determine if an appeal is warranted and will not charge any fee unless we successfully reduce your taxes.  Contact us at 847-223-1500 or visit dev-cqrh.pantheonsite.io for more information.

For the latest information on filing deadlines and decision mailed dates, visit the Lake County Assessment Office

 

Additional referenced information here