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Improper property-tax exemptions can prompt assessors to demand repayment and place liens, speaker says
Summary
An unidentified presenter advised homeowners that up to four exemptions may be applied to a primary residence, warned against claiming exemptions on rental or income properties, and described assessors’ ability to demand repayment and place liens if exemptions were improperly claimed.
An unidentified presenter told listeners that homeowners may claim up to four property tax exemptions on their primary residence but warned that claiming exemptions on non-primary properties can prompt assessors to demand repayment and place liens.
The presenter said, “You can have up to 4 exemptions on your primary residence at 1 time.” He added that exemptions “save you money” but stressed they apply only to the homeowner’s primary residence, not to income or rental properties. “You should not be getting any exemptions on your income property or any other property that you're not living in,” he said.
Using a concrete example, the presenter described how an assessor might respond if an exemption was improperly claimed. He said homeowners could receive a notice stating they had received an exemption for several years and owed repayment; in the example cited he quoted the notice language: “You owe us $5,265 today. No payment plan.” He said the assessor could require a lump-sum payment and, if unpaid, place a lien on the property.
The presenter recommended that homeowners verify that exemptions apply only to their primary residence and highlighted the homeowner’s exemption as the first one most owners should claim. “To get that, you must live in the property and for it to be your, primary residence,” he said.
No formal vote or action was recorded; the remarks were instructional and advisory in nature.
