Last Chance To Appeal Your 2018 Property Tax Assessment

Did you miss your window to appeal your property taxes with the Cook County Assessor, did you file with them only to have it denied, or did you achieve a reduction but less than you hoped for? The good news is there is a second opportunity to appeal your 2018 assessment at the Cook County Board of Review (in fact you can appeal at both offices every year).

The Board of Review is now accepting property tax appeals for Group 5 townships (see below). The deadline for homeowners in these four townships to file a property tax appeal at the Board of Review is Thursday, December 6, 2018.

• Jefferson
• Proviso
• Orland
• Wheeling

Appealing Can Save You Hundreds or Thousands

Appealing your home’s assessed value is the only way to achieve property tax relief on your second installment property tax bill in July 2019, other than selling your home or claiming a new exemption. Assessments can be appealed every year, regardless of when a township was reassessed.

Appealing Yourself vs. Using a Service: It’s All about the Comps

Homeowners can appeal directly with the Cook County Board of Review via their website. However, unless you have thoroughly researched comparable properties (aka “comps”), which are the most similar homes to yours, you may only win a reduction of hundreds of dollars while foregoing reduction in the thousands.

A more comprehensive review of comps by an experienced third-party—especially one that purchases all home assessment data from Cook County as it becomes available (3 times per year)—can reveal a much more persuasive analysis that could lead to a reduction in the thousands.

Kensington Research & Recovery, a Cook County property tax consulting company, offers a free estimate of how much your property taxes may be reduced based on up to five comps for your home. There is no obligation to use Kensington to assist with an appeal of your property taxes following the estimate.

About Kensington Research & Recovery

Kensington helps homeowners, businesses and organizations in two ways. The first is appealing property tax assessments to reduce future property tax payments. The second is recovering government refunds due to overcharges and over-payments. For both, government agencies impose strict deadlines and require fully researched claims, which are complex and time-consuming. While there’s no guarantee of success, Kensington does guarantee that its extensively trained staff will make its best efforts on behalf of its clients – and Kensington clients only pay a portion of what is saved or refunded. Kensington has a 90% success rate based on thousands of property tax appeals made primarily in Cook County. More: https://www.kensington-research.com