Assessment board urges applicants to provide purchase documents, sets June 2 status hearing in dispute over Revenue and Taxation Code §441(d) requests

The Ventura County Assessment Appeals Board on April 7 pressed applicants to supply property acquisition documents the assessor says are needed to value apartment complexes in 2024 decline‑in‑value appeals, and set a status hearing for June 2 to track progress.

The issue arose during a group of appeals in which the assessor requested property acquisition materials — purchase-and-sale agreements, escrow and closing statements, bank loan documents, inspection reports and any appraisals — for transfers that occurred within roughly two years before the Jan. 1, 2024 lien date. Assessor’s Office staff said those transfers are likely to be among the best comparables for lien‑date valuation and that details of the original purchases help the office “emulate market participants” when estimating value.

The assessor read from Revenue and Taxation Code §441(d) during the hearing, noting that the statute requires an assessee to make available “information or records…