I agree it seems like a pretty terrible situation. Best thing we can do is voice our opinion to the folks in power for Harris County and the state. I think at one point last year, there was a bill at the state legislature that would limit the increase even more, but it didn't pass. I could be wrong though. Can at least try to get it done though, even though it'll take time out of our day.
Same boat here. I just finished the iFile for a 83.5% valuation and I don't even think I'm stretching it. The comps to mine have been sitting stale for 5 months now dropping 2% each month.
Because they can't milk businesses because....jobs or whatever fallacy big business wants you to believe.
Big business with it's big guns sue HCAD and other appraisal districts to lower their tax burden. Who make up the differences? Largely, single home owners. HCAD and other appraisal districts know well how to play the game to recoup and individual owners do not have the resources to fight against the system. The Texas Property tax system is based on subjective evaluation that is not fair, places more of the burden toward individual tax payers and less of a burden toward businesses. http://www.houstonpress.com/news/te...-to-its-defective-property-tax-system-6601492 HCAD, in a practice that property-tax experts have called an Enron-like scam, routinely cries uncle when confronted by big-money property owners but becomes an immovable wall with moderate-income homeowners over their assessed values. Since 2000, according to figures provided by Ellis's office, the overall property-tax burden for the state's single-family homeowners has increased from 45 percent to 54 percent while the property-tax load for businesses has decreased from 21 percent to less than 20 percent. (The remaining 26 percent consists of more than ten property categories, including vacant lots; utilities; and oil, gas and minerals.) Independent property-tax agent John Osenbaugh, who claims to have evidence of transgressions — ranging from cherry-picking properties in order to achieve higher values to targeting low-income neighborhoods for increases — opines that HCAD may already dabble in white-collar crime. "There are grievous errors, and the people involved are too qualified for this to have been happenstance. They know what they're doing," Osenbaugh told the Press last year. "It's one thing if it's by accident; that's okay and somewhat forgivable, but when it's clearly not, this is a scheme that makes Enron look like amateurs."
Ah, what do you know, another 10% increase for me. The city will say "we haven't raised property taxes". Nah, you're just raising the value on our property and making us pay the same percentage, essentially increasing our tax burden.
I have sworn that I would not move again, but this is the crap that is going to make me finally move entirely out of Harris Co. There are not enough bad things that can happen to that den of thieves.
A buddy of mine is a doctor who lives in Bellaire. He's been getting 10% every year, and his increases are ridiculous. Tax Year: 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 Appraised Value: $1,105,174 1,053,029 915,721 832,474 756,795
Mine has stayed firm after the initial 10% jump in 2015. Which is interesting because houses in my neighborhood are selling for nearly double the amount of their HCAD appraisals.
I still haven't gotten anything. Not in hcad either. It says "pending". But the deadline to protest is the 15th? Did they forget about me? Am I in the CLEAR?
They're trying to figure out how to make yours higher right now. Bare with them. Mine went up another 10% of my tax value, and appraised value went up as well. I just protested it less than a year ago, and showed them all the repairs I needed, but they raised it despite me not making those. So, guess I need to protest again.
