The gardens are fading glory, the end of summer on the river has arrived. And ….ARGH property tax bills are in the mail!!  Here is some helpful information if you want to appeal your property taxes this year. Remember! Appealing your taxes is not a guarantee of getting a reduced bill! The process is kind of arduous, but the tax department is surprisingly helpful (call David or Joan at the Multnomah County Tax Department 503-988-3326). Your floating home is taxed as Personal Property!!

To file a property tax appeal, you will need to download and file a Personal Property Tax Appeal form. You can access the Department of Taxation for Multnomah County this link. You will need to provide evidence to support your claim. The evidence needs for be for the time period of January 2010 because that is the month that they use to make the assessment bills for the upcoming bill that is generated in November. The evidence should be either or both an appraisal by a licensed property appraiser or a market valuation done by a Realtor or both of these. Pay close attention to the date you must file the appeal: This year, it needs to be filed no later than January 3.

2011.

FYI: At the time of purchase or sale of a floating home, the State Marine Board collects the information to submit to the county. As you all know, personal property requires an annual filing notice of value. If you fail to answer this notice (even if you fail to receive it) you will receive a ‘special assessment equal to 50% of the assessment bill as a penalty. Everyone has their own idea of how to fill this form out, but if you would like to know what I advise, please feel free to contact me.

If you would like additional information don’t hesitate to call me. If you decide to appeal your taxes, don’t wait till the last minute to compile your evidence because appraisers and Realtors are all working on this. Thanks! Let me know if you find this helpful!