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In the coming weeks, potentially by the end of the month, residential homeowners across Philadelphia will — with a healthy dose of dread — start opening envelopes from the city containing their new property assessments.
That’s because the majority of them will be higher than the valuations sent out more than two years ago, the last time the Office of Property Assessment completed a revaluation of every property in the city.
“Some people are going to see a decrease. That’s great. Amen. Most people are going to see some kind of increase,” said Montgomery Wilson, a staff attorney at Community Legal Services.
The assessments, which will also be posted online, will dictate how much homeowners will pay in property taxes in 2027. Which means thousands of residents will seek to lower the amount before their bills are due next March.
Here’s what to know about that:
Two options to appeal a property assessment
When it comes to property assessments, the city is not infallible. Mistakes happen. Homeowners who believe their valuation is inaccurate can file an appeal.
On this front, there are two free options, neither of which require an attorney.
“File both,” Wilson said. “There’s no reason to wait to do one and then the other.”
Homeowners can file what’s known as a First Level Review with OPA. This is considered an informal appeal, akin to asking the city to take a second look at the new assessment.
There’s no hearing. The city simply reviews the request — and any supporting documents — and reaches a decision.
According to the city, a homeowner must be able to prove one of the following:
Their valuation is too high or too low and/or the characteristics of the property that affect the amount are “substantially incorrect.”
The property’s valuation is “not uniform with other properties throughout the city.”
The exemption or abatement listed for the property is incorrect or missing.
A form to file a First Level Review will be included in the mailing with the new assessment. Typically, recipients have 60 days to respond after the notices go out.
A city spokesperson said the OPA is aiming to release the new assessments at the end of June.
At the same time, property owners can file a formal appeal with the city’s Board of Revision of Taxes. This is essentially a request to have a third party review the assessment.
Unlike the informal appeal, homeowners get a hearing where they can argue that the city made a mistake.
This option takes time, with some cases taking a year or two to complete. In the meantime, homeowners are required to pay property taxes on the current year’s assessment, with the understanding that they may have to make an additional payment if the board decides the property is worth more than that amount.
“The worst thing you can do is pay nothing,” Wilson said. “At the very least, you have to pay last year’s taxes, the lesser amount, and wait to find out what level of difference you need to pay.”
This year, the state-imposed deadline to file an appeal with the board is Oct. 5.