As Lake Houston area homeowners began receiving property value notices in April, homeowners in Harris and Montgomery counties can decide to file protests of their property values if they do not agree with the values provided by the county appraisal districts.

The deadline for property owners to file a protest is May 15. However, homeowners who receive their notices after April 15 have 30 days from the day their notices are received to file protests.

Homeowners can file a protest by sending it through the mail, bringing a paper protest form to the appraisal district office or by filing electronically for the respective appraisal district.

Jack Barnett, the chief communications officer for the Harris County Appraisal District, said homeowners need to be sure to check the boxes on the protest form that apply to what they are protesting and bring evidence that supports their protests, which can include photographs, repair estimates and comparable sales data that would indicate a home’s market value has been incorrectly assessed.