Allegheny County Pennsylvania Property Assessment

[Cary P.]

Hi Folks,

I just received an unsolicited marketing letter from a legal firm in the Allegheny County Pennsylvania area.  I purchased a rental there last April.  This guy says he can lower my property taxes by challenging the County on the assessed price of the property.  I paid $105K for it, it is assessed at $120,700.  The thing is, he wants 75% of the first year's refund - about $725 contingency commssion.

1.  I'm not a sucker, contingency or not, I'm not paying 75% of the first year's savings.

2. What is the process for challenging the property's assessed value? Is it something I can do from Colorado?

3. I live in Colorado, but a friend is renting the house from us; the house is under an EIN, etc, so this is a company, not just a DBA or Schedule E. Is it worth fighting? If this guy, or someone else for a smaller commission, can successfully lower my property taxes for several years at a savings of about $80 a month, I'd like to go that route because we aren't making any money on the house and won't in the foreseeable future.

4. Do you know someone who can do the same job for less of a commission?

Thanks for any advice!

[Steve Babiak]

Somebody will have to appear in person, so you can fill out forms from CO but you still have to show up in person when the time comes - so you are probably better off hiring a local firm.

I am in the Philadelphia area, so I can't recommend any specific names where your property is located. But I can tell you that there are lots of firms that handle these tax appeals, and they will send similar mailers to you. They all do it on a commission basis, some percentage of the first year's savings (but only for that first year). Closer to 50% seems to be more appropriate too.