All commercial and residential properties in Harris County are appraised Jan. 1 of each year, and property value notices had been mailed out to most residential property owners by late April, according to HCAD. Property value, along with the tax rate, is one of the main factors that go into determining how much a property owner owes in taxes each year.
For residents who believe an error was made in determining their property values, protesting is the go-to mechanism for getting that error corrected. In a news release, Chief Appraiser Roland Altinger encouraged those looking to protest to use the district’s online iFile program at www.hcad.org/iFile. However, a protest form is also included in the packet that is mailed along with the property value notice, which can be filled out and brought to HCAD’s office.
“Using iFile to submit your protest and then selecting iSettle is the quickest and easiest way to file and resolve your protest,” Altinger said in a statement. “With iSettle, you can submit electronic documentation to support your opinion of value, and an appraiser will review it. If the appraiser responds with a new value and you accept, your protest is done for the year.”
