Appeal Your Property Tax Bill to Save Money
While it might seem logical to be happy about an increasing home value, when it comes to the tax assessor’s office you want your value to be as low as possible. Since your property tax bill is based on your assessed value, convincing the government that your home is worth less than they say it is can save you money.
The county is not always correct in their assessment and there are steps you can take to appeal your taxes and get changes made:
Make Sure You Meet the Deadline
Once you receive your assessment, you have only 30 days to file an appeal. Make sure you are aware of the specific deadline for your property’s location. Contact our office at 847-223-1500 as soon as you get your blue property tax card to assure there will be time to assemble your case.
From the Lake County Tax Assessment office as of 8/6/20:
2020 Filing Deadlines and Decision Mailed Dates
| Township | Newspaper | Tentative Assessment Roll Publication Date (* = Tentative) |
Final Filing Dates |
| Antioch | Lake County Journal | 8/27/2020* | |
| Avon | Lake County Journal | 8/20/2020* | |
| Benton | Lake County News Sun | 7/30/2020 | 8/31/2020 |
| Cuba | Barrington Courier Review | 8/6/2020 | 9/8/2020 |
| Ela | Lake Zurich Courier | 8/27/2020* | |
| Fremont | Mundelein Review | 8/6/2020 | 9/8/2020 |
| Grant | Lake County Journal | 8/20/2020* | |
| Lake Villa | Lake County Journal | 8/27/2020* | |
| Libertyville | Libertyville Review and Vernon Hills Review | 8/20/2020* | |
| Moraine | Highland Park News | 8/6/2020 | 9/8/2020 |
| Newport | Lake County News Sun | 8/13/2020 | 9/14/2020 |
| Shields | Lake Forester | 7/30/2020 | 8/31/2020 |
| Vernon | Buffalo Grove Countryside, Lincolnshire Review and Vernon Hills Review | 9/3/2020* | |
| Warren | Lake County News Sun | 9/3/2020* | |
| Wauconda | Lake County Journal | 8/13/2020 | 9/14/2020 |
| Waukegan | Lake County News Sun | 9/3/2020* | |
| West Deerfield | Deerfield Review and Lake Forester | 8/13/2020 | 9/14/2020 |
| Zion | Lake County News Sun | 7/30/2020 | 8/31/2020 |
Understand Assessment Ratios
If your home’s value seems low on your assessment, they may be using an “assessed value”, which is only a percentage of the full market value. You can confirm this on the assessor’s website before building your case.
Make Sure Your Property Information is Accurate
We can request a copy of the internal notes and data the assessor used when determining the value of your home and verify that they used the correct lot size, house age, room count for bedrooms and bathrooms, or anything else that might affect the value. We also make sure they compared your house to similar homes based on size, age, etc.
Hire an Attorney to Help in the Process
There are many details to consider during the appeal process and even if you present a good case, the assessor does not have to agree with you. Often times they will do their best to defend their original estimate. A qualified attorney can make a significant difference in a successful appeal.
The attorneys at Churchill, Quinn, Richtman & Hamilton in Grayslake are experienced in reducing property tax liability. We will provide a free evaluation to determine if an appeal is warranted and will not charge any fee unless we successfully reduce your taxes. Contact us at 847-223-1500 or visit dev-cqrh.pantheonsite.io for more information.
For the latest information on filing deadlines and decision mailed dates, visit the Lake County Assessment Office
Additional referenced information here