Philly is giving property owners more time to appeal their new assessments
An Inquirer analysis earlier this year found Philadelphia’s new assessments are systemically inaccurate in Black and low-income neighborhoods.
Philadelphia property owners now have until Dec. 2 to file appeals with the Office of Property Assessment.
OPA is the city agency that assesses property values and conducts “informal” first-level reviews when property owners contest those values. City Council requested OPA extend its previous deadline of Oct. 14 for submitting first-level reviews, prompting the six-week extension.
“After ongoing discussions with City Council and other stakeholders, we’ve extended the deadline for First Level Review so that Philadelphia property owners have more time to review their assessments and get additional information to determine if they should file an application,” Chief Assessment Officer James Aros, Jr said in a statement.
OPA had previously already extended the deadline from Sept. 30 to Oct. 14, after delays in mailing out assessment notices. Property owners need those official notices to kick-start a first-level review.
“This new deadline will give homeowners the extra time they need to seek a review of their property assessments, in light of this year’s delay in mailing assessment notices,” Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson said in a statement. “The stakes are too high to not get this right.”
» READ MORE: New Philly property assessment came in the mail? Here’s how to cope with the sticker shock.
An Inquirer analysis earlier this year found Philadelphia’s new assessments are systemically inaccurate in Black and low-income neighborhoods. Property assessments form the basis for calculating real estate tax bills in the city.
The first-level review process is one of two appeal options. The other is to file an appeal with the Board of Revision of Taxes, an independent oversight body.
The deadline to file BRT appeals was Oct. 3, the first Monday in October by state law. Property owners did not need a mailed notice to file appeals with the BRT.
This year, city officials have urged residents trying to maximize their chances of winning an appeal to file appeals with both agencies.
A Pew report published last month found that 65% of BRT appeals and 26% of OPA appeals in recent years resulted in lowered assessment values.