The Tarrant Appraisal District has extended the deadline for property value protests from May 15 to May 30 after the website struggled due to the volume of property owners logging on to file.
The TAD made the announcement at the top of its website, saying that “any 2023 protests filed after May 15th but before May 30, 2023 will be considered a timely filed protest this year.”
Every year, the TAD reevaluates properties and produces new appraisals that reflect the current real estate market.
With home values climbing in recent years, so have house appraisals, as The Dallas Express reported.
The fixed annual maximum increase is 10%, yet a few successive years of double-digit increases can quickly result in an untenable tax burden for some homeowners.
This situation has led to more property owners filing property value protests, per NBC 5 DFW.
Shortly after property value notices were sent out by the TAD on April 15, its website began to struggle due to the increased volume of property owners filing protests. Some users reported that it would load slowly or not at all.
In response to the website deficiencies, Keller Mayor Armin Mizani wrote a letter to Chief Appraiser Jeff Law, urging him to consider an extended deadline or other remedies for taxpayers.
“Through this letter, I urge the Tarrant Appraisal District and the Tarrant County Tax Assessor-Collector to explore all available options to remedy this issue, including the possibility of extending the deadline for taxpayers to file their protests as a result of the website issues at the Tarrant Appraisal District,” wrote Mayor Mizani.
“Taxpayers should not be on the hook for TAD’s inability to safeguard its website functions as required by state law,” he added.
Mizani also noted that the TAD website “does not currently provide the option for automated market reviews.”
An automated market review allows property owners to enter an alternative evaluation and discuss a settlement within minutes.
Many property owners in Tarrant County rely on the tool to help them file their protests, and state law also mandates that the option is provided.
Law responded to Mizani’s letter, confirming there will be an extension and that it is a step in the right direction.
“Taxpayers should always be afforded the opportunity to protest their assessments using all the tools guaranteed by state law,” wrote Law in a statement, per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “To that end, assuming the website issues can be corrected soon, this decision to extend the 2023 protest deadline is a step in the right direction.”
Law also posted a response on the TAD’s Twitter account, saying that the automated market review tool is currently in the testing phase and should be ready to be launched by May 3.