- Gwinnett Habitat for Humanity

WHY DID MY PROPERTY TAXES INCREASE?

Your property taxes went up last year and it affected your escrow account, therefore, causing an increase in your mortgage payment.

You are no doubt aware that the real estate market has improved greatly here in the metro Atlanta areas. In fact, in many areas property values are rising at an alarming rate. This increase in values affects property taxes.

What can you do? You can appeal your assessment, but it requires patience and some research. Some options are:

1. Hire a professional appraiser who appraises your house. EXPENSIVE!!!! You pay upfront and hope you win. An appraisal can cost between $200-$400.

2. You pay little to no money upfront but hire a professional service to appeal for you. They get a big share of the winning if your amount of taxes is reduced.

3. Do your own homework. Figure out what homes have sold for recently around you and present our own case during the appeal process.

Either way, you should direct all questions regarding payment increases to Amerinat at TaxIns@amerinatls.com. They can tell you exactly why there was an increase in your payments.

GWINNETT COUNTY RESIDENTS: Please be aware that new tax bills will be coming out from the Gwinnett County Tax Assor’s office in mid April. These bills will reflect what your new property tax bill will look like for the coming year. This assessment will affect your payment down the road should property taxes increase.

Once you receive the new bill you have the option to appeal the assessment. You will have 45 days from the date of receipt of the new assessment. It is too late to appeal last year’s assessment. Please visit the Tax Assessors website to learn more: https://www.gwinnettcounty.com/web/gwinnett/departments/financialservices/taxassessorsoffice/propertyappeals You can also call their office at 770 822 7200.

Also, make sure you have filed your one-time homestead exemption that gives you a break on your property tax each year. Many of you did this when you first moved into your homes. If you didn’t, here is the link to learn how:

https://gwinnetttaxcommissioner.publicaccessnow.com/HomesteadExemptionApplication.aspx

WALTON COUNTY RESIDENTS:

As a Walton County homeowner, you’ll receive an annual property tax assessment in the mail, and it may reflect a significant increase to your assessed home value. Around 60% of homeowners are seeing between a 9-12% increase in their property values over last year. This increase will be reflected in your mortgage escrow and will cause your monthly payment to either increase/stay the same/or decrease.

Taxpayers may challenge an assessment by Walton County Board of Tax Assessors by appealing to Walton County Board of Equalization or to an arbitrator(s) within 45 days from the date of the assessment notice. Once the county board of equalization or the arbitrator(s) has rendered a decision, the taxpayer may continue their appeal to the superior court by mailing or filing with Walton County Board of Tax Assessors a written notice wishing to continue the appeal.

You may also be eligible for Homestead Exemptions, which can reduce your property tax burden. Please visit https://www.qpublic.net/ga/walton/exemptions.html for more information.

You can reach the tax commissioner’s office by calling 770-266-1736