Often the Assessor's Office building records are not correct because the Assessor is a mass appraisal organization and either the work was done too quickly, or the information changed or there was information that slipped through the cracks and was never processed. There could be any number of reasons for this, however the good news is that the solution is simple. For every home there is a building record on file which includes at least a diagram of the shell of the building and a description.

Some Assessors Offices keep much more detailed records depending on their tools, work load and staff. However, all records for your house are for valuation purposes even though other real estate professionals use these records to verify house records. From the diagram the square footage of the building is calculated and the description will include the type of property, the use type, and any other information that may be relevant to the home and its value.

The Assessor's records affect most real estate transactions despite the fact that the Assessor makes no representation of having information for anything other than assessment purposes. The records are in reality is generally used by real estate professionals as official. Essentially, making sure your records are accurate will more than likely affect the value of your home since the banks, buyers, sellers, etc. all use these records to confirm the structures on your property.

When the information for your home are incorrect it is very simple to adjust and/or update them. Simply contact your county Assessors Office via the internet or phone and ask to have the data updated. Within the Assessors Office this is called a public service request and will be forwarded to an appraiser who will either speak to you and/or make an appointment to visit your property to measure or find out what the differences are and then make the adjustments accordingly. Very often the Assessor's Office will take your word for it if it is something simple such as a bedroom count update. This is a very simple process and can easily be handled. If there is an addition to your home that you constructed and was never assessed, it may result in an increase in your property tax base however, if the error is the Assessor's fault there is a statute of limitations so ask about this when making your inquiry.

However, if the construction were there before you purchased the home then it is considered to be maintenance before transfer and since you purchased the residence with the construction there, very likely no assessment would be added. The reason for this is because you paid for what you when you purchased the residence and so there really has been no adjustment in value as opposed to if you added to your residence then there is an increase in the value. The Assessor's Office may ask for information pertaining to the permit or documentation as to what the property was when you received it such as the listing information however this will vary case to case. Often, the Assessor will go off of your word and will update the records accordingly. This is very common and a simple procedure, simply ask.

Always remember when thinking about this is that the Assessor's Office is a different government entity from your city. The Assessor's Office needs correct records so the assessments of your home are accurate. Generally they don't care if what you have on your property is permitted or not because even when not permitted it may add worth to your home. The Assessor's Office is not generally in the practice of telling your city what is on your property so this can be much simplier than you may think. When taxpayers think of the Assessor or the City they often think these government entities as being in communication with one another, generally they aren't. This would be good to find out for your own knowledge.

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Article Submitted By: ValerieFaltas,PropertyTaxExpert
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