Charlottesville & Albemarle Assessments – Another Increase in 2019

• Assessments are up, again. They’ve been going up for about a decade.
• Read this for more context on market value & assessments.
• Real estate assessments do not necessarily equate market value
• Increasing assessments are financially painful for a lot of people.
• Great discussion thread at Reddit about this. Also, Charlottesville Slack had a decent conversation.
• Questions? Ask.

How to challenge your real estate assessment in Albemarle

There is a process in place to appeal disputed assessments. As a first step, taxpayers are encouraged to contact the Assessor’s Office to ensure the correctness of County records and to receive an explanation of the basis of their property’s valuation. If visiting the Assessor’s Office, we highly recommend that citizens make an appointment to ensure that the appropriate staff member who can best explain the valuation of their specific property is available.

If a taxpayer desires to request an official internal review, they can submit a 2019 Administrative Review form, located on the County Assessor webpage, www.albemarle.org/assessor. This form can also be mailed, emailed or faxed upon request. The deadline to return this form is February 28, 2019. If a property owner is not satisfied by the official internal review’s outcome, they can request an appeal by the Board of Equalization (BOE), whose members are appointed by the Board of Supervisors. The BOE is comprised of Albemarle County citizens who have completed training by the Virginia Department of Taxation. All appeals to the Board of Equalization must be filed by March 29, 2019, or within 30 days of the date of the response letter for a previously requested 2019 Administrative Review.

How to Challenge your Assessment in Charlottesville

*The appeal period will end on February 28, 2019. Appeal applications received with a postmark date of February 28, 2019 or prior will be accepted. Any appeal application received with a postmark date after February 28, 2019 will not be accepted.*

More information (archived: 2019) about the formal appeals process is available, but the assessment appeal process should begin with the Assessment Appeal Application (archived: 2019). Once this form is completed, you may file your appeal by mail or in person. All applications to be included in the next appeals cycle must be filed after January 29, 2019 and received on or before February 28, 2019.

City plans to advertise a two-cent increase in the real estate tax. Interim City Manager Mike Murphy said he’ll have to decide if his proposed budget will be balanced using a meals tax increase or cutting in other areas.

— Nolan Stout (@nstoutDP) February 6, 2019