Property tax - Homestead exemptions and protest

As a co-owner of the home, you can apply for a homestead exemption if the property is your primary residence. In most states, including Texas, you need to be living in the home as of January 1st of the tax year in which you apply for the exemption. Since you purchased the home in February 2020, you should have been eligible to apply for the homestead exemption starting January 1, 2021. If you haven't applied already, you should do so as soon as possible. Regarding the property value appraisal protest, you can certainly protest your property's appraised value even if you don't have a homestead exemption. To protest the value, you need to gather evidence such as the price you paid for the home and comparable sales data for similar properties in your area. This information will help support your case for a lower assessed value. The deadline for protesting property tax appraisals varies by jurisdiction, but in Texas, the typical deadline is May 15th or 30 days after the appraisal district sends the notice of appraised value, whichever is later. If you missed the deadline for a previous tax year, you might not be able to protest the appraisal for that year, but you can prepare to protest in the next tax year. Be sure to check your local appraisal district's website or contact their office for specific deadlines and requirements in your area. David Smith Blok & Blvd. Realty 281-732-3090

Remember! Home owners have until the end of the month to file for Homestead Exemption.

In post Covid world, filing a property tax protest with your Central Appraisal District may not help. But, it is encouraged. Local government entities are so strapped for cash after declines in sales tax revenue, there may not be much mercy shown by them. Use Comptroller Form 50-132, Property Appraisal - Notice of Protest, to file your written request for an ARB hearing.

I hope that all of your questions have been answered by now and if not, after closing you complete a form notifying the appraisal district that you are the new owner (form found online within the county your property resides) and now that we are after Jan 1 (you have to be in the home as of Jan 1) of the tax year you can file your homestead exemption (form found online within the county your property resides). You have until the end of April to get the homestead exemption form completed and mailed to the county. I am sure your Realtor has already reached out to you to remind you of the exemption. Once exemption is filed, if you are in Harris County you will receive a post card size mailer confirming your homestead exemption each year and you can always check on HCAD.com to confirm who they show as owner of record as well as your exemption.