For the past 16 years, our office has been concentrating on just two areas of law – Evictions and Tax Appeals. Our eviction practice, which now spans most of New Jersey, has helped residential and commercial landlords with the removal of more than 10,000 tenants. Our tax appeal practice has been successful in the reductions of assessments by more than $67,000,000. With our county tax appeals concluding by July of each year, and the new assessments not being released yet, we have fielded numerous calls from our clients over the past 4 months, inquiring about tax appeals for 2018. The following information pertains to the release of new assessments and filing deadlines.
Monmouth County
We note that most municipalities in Monmouth County are still subject to the Assessment Demonstration Program (ADP), which often requires re-inspection of houses and buildings, and inevitably leads to yearly adjustments in assessments for the majority of Monmouth County residents. Therefore, even taxpayers who previously had their assessments reduced may find that their assessments for 2018 have been raised again. Accordingly, we have been advising all taxpayers affected by ADP to wait until their 2018 assessments are released before considering whether a Tax Appeal would be recommended. During the next few weeks, all Monmouth County residents should receive their new assessments for 2018. If you feel that your 2018 assessment exceeds the fair market value of your property, please contact us to discuss whether a tax appeal would be worthwhile pursuing. Please keep in mind that the Appeal Calendar for Monmouth County starts on November 18 and ends on January 17. Some towns, including Belmar and Spring Lake have received extensions until February 23. For information on any specific filing deadlines, please contact the Monmouth County Tax Board at (732) 431-7404.
Other County Appeals
For the remainder of New Jersey’s counties, the assessments will be finalized by January 15, 2018. Tax Appeals for those counties must be filed between February 1, 2018 and April 1, 2018. In cases in which the assessment exceeds one million dollars, the appeal can also be filed directly with the Tax Court. Tax Court Appeals must also be filed by April 1, 2018.
Other Requirements
Taxpayers who wish to file appeals must also remember that they are required to stay current on all municipal charges, comply with inspection requests, and in the case of income property, the statement of income and expenses (Chapter 91 inquiry response) must be produced within 45 days of the request. Failure to comply with any of these requirements may result in the involuntary dismissal of a tax appeal. For more information about filing Tax Appeals, please feel free to contact our office.