Appeal Process
If You Believe Your Assessment Is Incorrect Please Follow The Appeal Steps Below:
1. Start with the local township Assessor who placed the assessment on your property. You may visit the office and review your property record card and check the physical characteristics of the property. You may also review other assessments & property record cards in your neighborhood to check for equity. Finally, you will be able to review sales of properties in your neighborhood. If after reviewing the physical data, the assessment data, and the sales data, you still believe your are over assessed, you may discuss the assessment with a deputy assessor who will either revise the assessment or explain to you why the assessment is correct.
2. File an assessment appeal form with the county Board of Review if you disagree with the assessor's valuation. You must be prepared to prove the market value of your property or demonstrate how your valuation is higher than similar properties in your area. A hearing date will be scheduled and evidence will be presented by both you and the assessor's office to the Board of Review hearing officer. The hearing officer will make a ruling based on the evidence presented at the hearing. You will be notified in writing of the decision. You may have an attorney represent you, however it is not required.
3. File an appeal with the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board if you disagree with the decision made by the county Board of Review. Again, you must submit evidence, including photos of the property, sales contracts, appraisals, or any other pertinent data that will support your opinion of value. The Assessor and Board of Review will also be required to provide evidence supporting their opinion of value. You may have an attorney represent you, however it is not required. A hearing will be held and a decision will be made based on the weight of the evidence presented, and you will be notified in writing of their final decision.
Tips on Filing Good Appeals
- Assessed values are required by law to be based upon the three prior years of actual sales transactions within the jurisdiction.
- For example, the 2011 assessed value was based upon sales occurring during the 2008, 2009 and 2010 calendar years.
- Remember that refinance appraisals are purposed and scoped differently from property tax assessment valuations. The above guidelines for property tax assessments are developed by state law whereas refinance appraisals are subject to different federal lending regulations. As a result, refinance appraisals cannot be attested to in a hearing without violating USPAP (Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice). If you have a refinance appraisal, we will review the information and incorporate any portion(s) deemed acceptable by state standards.
- Be sure to review your property characteristics at the assessor's office before filling an appeal.
- Understand that Fair Market Value is not the highest or lowest selling price of a property but the most probable selling price.
- When comparing properties in your area, use only similar properties (i.e. same design, same size, etc.)
- Board of Review Appeal Forms with the Property Tax Appeal Forms are available at our office or click on the DuPage County link below to print forms.