Property Taxes Got You Down? How to Appeal Property Taxes in Nassau County

Quick update, Governor Cuomo extended the filing period to at least May 7th; for more info, click here: Nassau County Assessment Review 

No doubt, you hear neighbors and friends complain about their higher tax rates—you may have done some of the complaining yourself. I can say, my own property taxes are high, so I know exactly how you feel.

The good news is you don’t have to take this sitting down. There are two things you can do, if you haven’t already done them—you can appeal the assessment to try to get them to lower it, and you can file for certain tax exemptions.

I’ll explain both.

Appealing Your Property Taxes

The letter you received suggested scheduling an appointment with the department if you have questions about your new assessment. In my opinion, this meeting will be a waste of your time. All they’ll do is try to defend their new assessment of your house. The meeting won’t be about appealing and lowering your assessment.

To appeal, you’ll fill out an online form at this Nassau County website. In this appeal, you’ll need to show them nearby homes comparable to yours that have recently sold for a lower value than where the department is currently valuing your home. These homes need to be in the same zip code, town, and school district as yours.

The most important things to remember about this process are (A) this appeal must always be made in the first quarter of the year and (B) to keep any reduced rate you receive, you must appeal again every year. For this coming year, you need to file your appeal between January 2 and April 30th, 2020.

If you want to appeal your home assessment, I can help you with part of the process. I can’t fill out the appeal form for you, but I can help you search for comparable homes that recently sold for a lower value. I’m offering this help for free—all I ask in exchange is that you recommend me to any of your friends who are wanting to sell or buy a house in Long Island.

If we’re able to effectively prove that other houses similar to yours are selling for less than your home’s new valuation, the county will lower your home’s assessment. This can literally save you thousands in property taxes each year.

Filing for Property Tax Exemptions

On top of appealing your assessment, you can also file for any of the following tax exemptions you qualify for.

Basic Star Exemption

This exemption is available to properties that are occupied by the owner. The property must be the owner’s primary residence, and the owner and their spouse’s combined income must be less than $500,000.

Learn more about this exemption here.

Apply for it here.

Enhanced Star Exemption

This exemption is in addition to the basic star exemption. It’s available to senior citizens (65+) with a combined income of $88,050 or less for the 2020-2021 school year.

Learn more about this exemption here.

Apply for it here.

Other Property Tax Exemptions

• Senior citizen’s exemption (can be filed for in addition to enhanced star exemption)
• Veteran’s exemption
• Exemption for persons with disabilities

Your Next Steps

If you would like my help in finding comparable homes for your appeal, fill out this form, and I’ll contact you. Make sure you fill out the address portion, so I can search for homes in your area. (Disclaimer: Filling out this form will also add you to my blog’s email list, so you’ll receive links to other posts like this one in your inbox.)

Some people are so aggravated by this reassessment, they would rather sell their house than pay New York taxes anymore. If this is you, you can contact me here and ask for a free home value report to guide you in pricing your house.

If you want to file for Star exemptions, read this first to know what you need to have on hand to register.

Good luck appealing your property taxes!

Your friend in real estate,

John Cordeira