If you believe that your municipality (city or town) has overassessed your home and as a result you are paying too much in real estate taxes, there are specific steps that are required to be followed to challenge that assessment. Failure to follow these procedures could result in the denial of your request for an abatement.
I have found that many homeowners do not obtain proper legal advice prior to the filing of a request for an abatement and as a result fail to file on time, which deprives the tax assessors of jurisdiction to act on the application. In addition, in the usual case the application will be denied, and specific time requirements must then be followed to appeal that denial.
It is recommended that legal advice be obtained before the application is filed if you are considering questioning the amount of your real estate taxes.
Attorney Mark Lichtenstein is a founding partner of Kerstein, Coren & Lichtenstein, LLP, Chair of the Real Estate Practice Group, and a member of the Estate Planning, Probate, Elder Law and Taxation Practice Group.
You can reach Attorney Lichtenstein at 617-964-9393 or at mlicht@kcl-law.com.