Last chance to appeal local property taxes due to COVID-19

The program is open to commercial and residential property owners, but officials warn that it could be very difficult for residents and homeowners to show their properties were negatively impacted and their values should be reduced.

“Given the state of the real estate market, we do not anticipate that residential properties will be successful in COVID-19 complaints,” said Montgomery County Auditor Karl Keith. “Home values have generally remained strong through the pandemic.”

Property owners must file special COVID-19 complaint forms with their county boards of revision by Thursday.

The Montgomery County Board of Revision allows web users to file online at http://www.mc-bor.org/.

Ohioans who file complaints must explain why they think the coronavirus pandemic or the COVID-19 state health orders resulted in their properties losing value.

Home sales and values remained strong during the public health crisis, which means residential property owners face an uphill battle to persuade boards of revision to reduce their values.

But Keith said appeals from commercial properties are more likely to succeed if they can demonstrate that income from their properties declined because of the pandemic.

Keith’s office has received only about 30 COVID-19 complaints so far: 24 commercial, 5 resident and 1 exempt property.

The county is home to about 212,300 residential properties, 19,800 commercial properties and 2,800 industrial properties.

Property owners in Montgomery County who file complaints will be invited to attend a hearing on Zoom or over the phone where they will explain why they think their values deserve to be revised.

According to Keith’s office, property owners should be prepared to share evidence they have that COVID-19 hurt their values.

They also might be asked to talk about any COVID-19 relief funds they received.

Useful documents and information include appraisals from around Oct. 1, 2020, especially if they note the pandemic’s impact on values; property income and expense reports comparing 2020 to prior years; and other evidence showing the costs and impacts of complying with health orders.

Property owners whose complaints succeed will see changes in value for property taxes paid in 2021. If their 2021 taxes have been already paid, they will receive a refund.

Cases in Montgomery County are expected to be heard in September and October.