Question about grieving taxes in Suffolk

I am asking for a family member.... if someone lives in Suffolk county how do you go about grieving your taxes, do you just fill out a form and send it into a place that does this for you? Do they inspect(physically enter your home) your home? Thanks for any answers in advance!

Re: Question about grieving taxes in Suffolk

I don't know alot about it but you can do it yourselves or hire someone to do it. I do not believe they do an inspection but they compare your taxes to those of your neighbors with a similiar house and determine if you are paying too much. If you do it yourself you have to do all the research but you get the full reward. If you hire someone they usually take 20-30% of whatever the savings is plus the filing fee. You also have to file the grievance every year and the person you hire gets a percentage every year.

Re: Question about grieving taxes in Suffolk

We used Mark Lewis 2 years ago and they saved us just over $3000 !!! We are trying to grieve again this year to see what happens....

You pay them 50% of the first years savings and for us it was well worth it...No inspections or anything...You fill out some basic info on a form and they take care of the rest ( court etc...) You are almost always denied at the 1st level of court and then it moves on to the next level...

It was a one time fee ( not every year) and once you grieve, you don;t have to do it again unless you want to try and further reduce your taxes...

I know people do this themselves, but I don't have the time or the energy to do the legwork

Message edited 11/25/2010 11:16:59 AM.

Re: Question about grieving taxes in Suffolk

You can do it yourself or pay someone to do it for you. I would shy away from "tax reduction companies" and hire a law firm that specializes in this field. There are many of them and you will pay the same amount (standard fee is 50% of first year's savings or refund plus filing fees - $30 per year per taxing jurisdiction.)

There is no "inspection" although you may be asked by your attorney to obtain an appraisal. If this is a recent purchase or refinance, you can use that appraisal instead of obtaining a new one.

They do not compare you to what other homes are paying in taxes. What they will do is compare your ASSESSMENT with other similar houses in the same neighborhood.

The next filing period in Suffolk County is in May 2011 (if it's the property is in an incorporated village there may be an additional filing period).

Oh and in Suffolk, unlike Nassau. you file the appeal with the Town in which the house is located - not the County.