Riverside County can no longer use confidential data at assessment appeals hearings

RIVERSIDE, Calif. - May 11, 2015 - PRLog -- FOR RELEASE May 11, 2015

Riverside County can no longer use confidential data at public hearings

Riverside, California - The Riverside County Assessor’s office has been using confidential data on income and expenses obtained from other property owners to present as rent comparable data at public hearings.  CRE Tax Appeal thoroughly researched the applicable legal issues, prepared a legal brief, and argued against an attorney for Riverside County.  CRE Tax Appeal challenged the legality of the assessor using confidential information at public hearings during a legal hearing on April 16^th, 2015 and won.  The Assessment Appeals Board ruled that the assessor’s data is confidential, belonging to other property owners, and must be excluded from evidence according to the provisions of the Revenue and Taxation Code.

This landmark decision marks the end of an unjust practice for the Riverside County Assessor’s office. The Assessor’s office had used this practice to present rent comparable data, which was obtained from other property owners, to justify their assessed values.  The Assessor’s office may no longer use data obtained confidentially from other property owners at appeal hearings.  In the future, all data used by the assessor must be from a public source so that the data can be cross-examined and independently verified.

If you have any property tax appeals, currently or in the past, where the Assessor’s office relied upon confidential information, please notify CRE Tax Appeal and the Board of Equalization.  CRE Tax Appeal works with attorneys that specialize in property tax law: there may be an opportunity to get a trial de novo, or new hearing, based upon the Assessor’s office using confidential data, which violated your right to a fair hearing.  Additionally, the Board of Equalization will investigate the Riverside County Assessor’s office’s collection and usage of confidential data regarding each of these appeals and enact the necessary changes to permanently end this practice.

About CRE Tax Appeal: we represent billions of dollars of real estate in Southern California.  We annually evaluate thousands of properties and notify the owner of the value of their property to help them make better real estate decisions and to reduce their property taxes to a fair market value.  Our website is www.CREtaxappeal.com.

For more information, please contact Joseph Reinagel, founder and CEO of CRE Tax Appeal.

Phone: 858-505-8065          Email: jreinagel@cretaxappeal.com