The most important factor in determining whether your property taxes are too high and whether you should appeal would be the property assessment. An assessment is an opinion of value of your property by the municipal tax assessor who then multiplies your assessed value by the municipal general tax rate. in NJ, to succeed with a property tax appeal, you must prove that the tax does not fairly represent true market value or common level range. True market value is 100% of true market value of previous tax year. Common level range is that range which is plus or minus 15% of the average ratio for the taxing district.
***Appeal Deadline – April 1, 2020***
After you received your tax Notice of Assessment, there is a very small window of time to consider whether to file an appeal. Unless the municipality has undergone a municipal-wide revaluation or reassessment, the strict deadline for taxpayers to file an appeal is the later of April 1, 2020, or 45 days from the date the bulk mailing of the Notice of Assessments is completed (except Monmouth County). Filing deadlines are strictly enforced. Failure to meet the filing deadline may completely bar your right to appeal your assessment for 2020 regardless of the unfairness of your assessment and tax burden.
South Jersey Law Center will consult with a professional appraiser who uses tax valuation formulas, comparable properties and citywide tax information, among other factors, to render an opinion which we will utilize to file an appeal to the County Board of Taxation on your behalf. Please contact us for a free consultation.