Form 11
Informational Form 11 Video
There are a plethora of questions often times triggered by the receipt of Form 11s in the mail. Below you will find the most common ones brought forth, if you hover over the question an answer will appear.
Additional information and links provided at the bottom as well.
Improvements?
I didn't do anything?!
In the assessing world the term improvement merely means most structures which were added at one time to the vacant real estate. Houses, variety of outbuildings, porches and pools all are examples of such items.
The term does not mean you've done anything to enhance the property since the last assessment notice received.
What causes an assessment to change?
There are numerous items which can trigger a change to your assessment each year.
We have a summary sheet HERE which lists the vast majority of items which may cause an assessment to go up or down.
That document also briefly lists items which may cause your tax burden to change as well.
Does this form mean my taxes are going up/down?
This document is not a tax bill, nor can anyone with certainty express whether your assessment change will cause a tax increase or decrease next year.
The Assessor's office in no capacity calculates your property taxes nor are property taxes part of the assessment setting process.
There is a tax bill estimator HERE however.
Aren't Property Values Capped?
One of the most common misconceptions is that assessed values are capped under the tax caps taxpayers approved years back.
Those caps have nothing to do with setting what assessment can be applied to a property, but governs the taxation which can be applied to certain parts of assessments.
How do I discuss this value with someone?
What is my assessment supposed to represent?
Assessments are supposed to attempt to represent the market value in use for the property it is applied to. For the vast majority of homeowners, that is the same as the market value of the property.
This is why the main question to ask yourself is "Is my property worth the assessment being applied?"