Askrey.net - Ask Rey About Real Estate

Sooner or later someone in Westchester is going to start the Taxes 2 DAMN High Party. According to every source, Westchester has the highest property taxes in the country. Westchester's average tax bill is $8,404, more than seven times the national average of $1,180. Your property taxes are based on your assessment, which is set by your city, town or village assessor.

However you can do something about it. Assessments are based on property values and if you have been paying attention, your house is probably not worth what it was a few years back. When values increased, assessments went up. Now that values are dropping, assessments are still going up? What to do?

Grieve your taxes. Grievance is a process where you file a complaint with your assessor to argue that your property is over valued and deserves to be lowered. If you win, your municipality will lower your assessment and thereby lower your taxes. These applications have deadlines and can only be done once per year. You can do it yourself, but I wouldn't recommend it. There are attorneys and tax experts who do this for a living.

I received the deadlines below from the law firm of James G. Dibbini & Associates, P.C. Every municipality sets it own grievance period as follows (each deadline is estimated and should be confirmed by your local assessor's office). You may need to hire an appraiser to give you the ammo to prove that your house is over assessed. So make sure you allow enough time to get everything done before you submit the application.

What are you waiting for? Call up your assessor, get the forms and lower your taxes!

November 1 - November 15, 2010

• City of Yonkers

January 1 - January 15, 2011

• City of White Plains

June 1 - June 15, 2011

     Towns and Cities of:

·         Mt. Vernon

·         New Rochelle

·         Peekskill

·         Rye

·         Bedford

·         Cortlandt

·         Eastchester

·         Greenburgh

·         Harrison (village and town)

·         Lewisboro

·         Mamaroneck

·         Mt. Pleasant

·         New Castle

·         North Castle

·         North Salem

·         Ossining

·         Pelham

·         Pound Ridge

·         Scarsdale

·         Somers

·         Yorktown

·         Mt. Kisco

February 1 - February 15, 2011

     Villages of:

·         Croton-on Hudson

·         Bronxville

·         Buchanan

·         Tuckahoe

·         Ardsley

·         Dobbs Ferry

·         Elmsford

·         Irvington

·         Tarrytown

·         Larchmont

·         Mamaroneck

·         Sleepy Hollow

·         Pleasantville

·         Port Chester

·         Mt. Kisco

·         Hastings-on Hudson