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Will the county reimburse?

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Dee Dee

Elite Member
Joined
Jan 16, 2002
Professional Status
Certified Residential Appraiser
State
Colorado
Just curious if any of you have run into a situation like this.
Did an appraisal yesterday on a sweet little old lady's home which the county has as a 1.5 story, 1728 SF house. Until this past year when an addition was added to the main level it was only about a 1000 SF ranch with a 300 SF finished attic. The only way to get to the attic is via a ladder fastened to a wall in the utility room and is used only for storage. I don't think it even has a heat source but couldn't tell because of all the boxes in the way. It is definately not living space due to the fact that it has no reasonable access.

My question is, in cases such as this where the woman has for years been paying taxes on a 1728 SF home when it was truly only about 1000 SF until recently, does the county ever reimburse the homeowner for over charging? Does anyone have experience in their areas on this type of issue? Not sure if it would be any significant amount, but she's been there for years and could use the $$ if it's at all possible to get a kickback. I don't want to mislead her by saying anything if the majority of you guys say that chances are slim.
 
Ask the tax office. Don't know about the tax laws in Colorado, but in GA you could possible get 2-3 years of a rebate if you contest it and show evidence. Any further back is just a nice donation to the county.

Mell.
 
Dee Dee,

Definitely check with the county treasurer. It may be difficult for her to get reimbursement, though. County records are public information, therefore it is considered the taxpayers responsibility to discover any errors concerning their property. Also, the treasurer collects the tax money and disburses it according to budget requirements. Whatever is left over is then used to pay back anyone that has been overcharged. At that point, there may not be enough money left to reimburse your client. Then again, hope I'm wrong. Let us know what happens.

Keri
 
Without knowing what state laws are, it's impossible to know the answer. As a former Deputy Appraiser with the Broward County Florida Property Appraiser's Office, I can tell you that Florida statutes only provide for the appraiser to go back three years for refund purposes. As was pointed out, it is the property owners responsibility to insure that the data recorded by the county is correct as pertains to the structure (or any other pertinent factors for that matter). To claim a refund, the property owner must request a physical re-inspection of the property. If there has, in fact, been an error made by the appraiser's office, they should submit a request to the state Department of Revenue for a refund of the overpayment covering the past three tax years.
 
Sounds like the general opinion is that 2-3 years is the best this lady will be able to get. That's a shame, since the home has been in the family since new in 1934 and who know's how long they've been overcharged.
Even if it were public record, most people wouldn't know that a finished attic with no stairs would not be considered living area.
I'll make a call tomorrow and ask...even if it only amounts to a couple hundred dollars a year for three years it's worth tipping her off to start pursuing it.
Thanks for your quick responses! :)
 
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