Second deadline provided for property value protest

A second 2012 property value protest deadline has been set for May 31 for most property owners in Harris County.

This second deadline applies to homes, commercial buildings and land. Business personal property and some real property accounts will have later deadlines. An earlier protest deadline was April 30, but the second deadline allows homeowners who missed the first and feels there is an error in the market value to file.

A Notice of Protest Form can be downloaded online at www.hcad.org. Texas law requires protests to be in writing, to identify the property and property owner, and to indicate the issue over which the owner is dissatisfied. Protests also can be filed to HCAD's office at 13013 Northwest Freeway, or mailed to P.O. Box 922004, Houston, TX 77292-2004.

Chief Appraiser Jim Robinson encouraged property owners to use Harris County Appraisal District's online iFile system to submit their protest in a press release. Unique iFile numbers were printed on the face of 2012 value notices near the property account number. Without this number, for security reasons, the iFile system cannot be used for filing a protest.

Harris County ARB hearings for 2012 begin May 14 and will be ongoing through the summer. Property owners who file a protest are sent a scheduling notice approximately three weeks prior to their hearing date. At the time the scheduling notice is sent, the property owner will be able to log in to HCAD's iFile system and see the district's hearing evidence, including sales and comparable property information the appraisers considered.

Questions concerning protesting an appraised value can be directed to the appraisal district's information center at 713-957-7800.