State-wide, property owners have until March 31 to file an appeal contesting their real property value for tax year 2021.
There are several ways to file: property owners can mail their complaint form & evidence of value, as well as fax and email. Regardless of the method used to file, the appeal filing period ends on March 31. At that time, completed complaint forms must be inside the Union County Auditor’s Office.
“The typical reason for filing a Complaint Against the Valuation of Real Property (DTE Form 1), more commonly known as a Board of Revision (BOR) appeal, is the property owner’s belief that their property is incorrectly valued. We want to make sure that all property is valued as accurately as possible,” said Andrea Weaver, the Union County Auditor and the Board of Revision’s secretary.
She added, “Property owners interested in filing should check our site, union.countybor.com, which offers additional assistance in preparing the complaint.”
Completed forms can be mailed, dropped off, emailed to unionbor@co.union.oh.us or faxed to 937-645-3057.
Based on the facts and evidence of the property’s value that are provided to the board by the property’s owner, the Board of Revision can vote to either increase, decrease or retain the property’s current appraised value. The board has no jurisdiction over taxes.
“The board does its best to be fair and impartial,” said Weaver. “Additionally, we are mandated by Ohio law to value properties as close to their actual market value as possible, so if a property owner believes their home value is incorrect, they should simply ask themselves, “Can I sell my house for the Auditor’s value?” If the answer is yes, then they may want to rethink filing the complaint.”
When a property owner files a property value complaint, they are required to present to the board fact-based evidence, preferably in the form of arm’s length sales, supporting their opinion of the property’s estimated market value.
The burden of proof is on the property owner to show that the auditor’s value is incorrect.
In addition to supplying evidence of a property’s value, the owner must testify if there is a formal hearing.
Carefully following the board’s Rules of Procedure can help the owner present their case and help the hearing move swiftly, according to Weaver.
The Rules of Procedure and “Presenting Your Case at a Board of Revision Hearing” are both available on the auditor’s website, in the auditor’s office and at union.countybor.com.
A hearing notice containing the hearing date, time and location will be sent by certified mail to the person who filed the complaint and to any party who has filed a counter-complaint on the property’s value.
If a property owner is successful in having their property’s value reduced, they will be issued a credit against their second half tax bill and their new value will remain until the next county-wide revaluation, which will be for tax year 2022 (taxes paid in 2023).
The Board of Revision is composed of the County Treasurer, one of the County Commissioners and the County Auditor.
For more information, those interested should email unionbor@co.union.oh.us or call (937) 645-3003.