APPEALS

The Property Tax Appeal Board (PTAB) is a quasi-judicial body created in 1967 to provide an unbiased forum for taxpayers and taxing bodies that are dissatisfied with property assessments. The board will ONLY consider appeals from a Cook County Board of Review decision.  The appeals process with PTAB is very involved and can take several years to process. Therefore, we unfortunately do not have the resources to assist with PTAB appeals.

There are 2 main reasons to support an appeal; Lack of uniformity and/or Over-valuation.  It is important to understand the difference.

• Lack of Uniformity
  • This is the most used reason to appeal the assessed value. This reason is selected when we want to argue that the value the County has assigned to your property is higher than the values the County has assigned to similar houses in your neighborhood.  The assessed value is NOT the market value.  If your assessed value is $300k and your neighbor has the same style/age/type home and is assessed at $275 then you have a good case for lack of uniformity.  Your assessed value can be found on your property tax bill.
• Over-Valuation
  • We all think our property is over valued in terms of property tax and this term is very misleading since it seems like this is what we should be using as the main reason for appeal.  For appeal purposes, “over-valuation” means that our assessed value is over-valued in terms of the current market value.  Market value is what your house will actually sell for. A taxpayer supports an overvaluation appeal with ACTUAL sales evidence of similar properties, where as a uniformity appeal is supported with values that the County has assigned to similar properties. 

We do our very best to help our residents understand their property tax and appeal process. If you don’t see your questions answered here please let us know.

• Do I need to find the comparables for my appeals?
  • The short answer is no.  We use our expertise to help find the best comparables to present with your appeal.  However, if you feel that your comparables best support your appeal, we will be happy to submit them instead.  If you do not know how to find comparables we will be happy to teach you how to find them but just not during appeal time.  We have always held seminars/webinars to help our taxpayers better understand appeals but because our time and resources are limited during appeal time we are not able to help explain this process individually.  We will be happy to help you during the rest of the year. 
• What do I need to file an appeal? 
  • Each appeal process is different and as we always have done, we will do everything to assist with the preparation and filing of an appeal on your behalf. All you need to do is tell us your property index number (P.I.N.).  The best place to find your PIN is on  your property tax bill that you get in February and July of each year.  PLEASE make it your practice to use your PIN on all your coorrespondences with us and/or bring your yellow colored Second Installment Property Tax bill every time you come see us.
• Will filing the appeal increase my assessed value?
  • No!  This is a concern for many residents who are interested in filing an appeal. They would rather stay under the radar and keep paying their property tax than try to get it lowered in fear that it may go even higher. Filing an appeal does not guarantee a lower assessed value but not filing an appeal will definitely not lower your assessed value.  Your assessed value will get reassessed every three years and it starts from scratch so appealing every year will give you a chance to get your value lower.