The Town of Riverhead and Its Assessment Issues

Property owners in New York can file a tax grievance if they believe that their property is being over-assessed—meaning that they are paying more in taxes than they believe they should be. If this is the case, they file a grievance with the town’s assessor’s office, or hire a property tax grievance firm to grieve on their behalf.

In Riverhead, NY, more than 300 tax grievance lawsuits are filed against the town each year, suggesting that there is a significant number of property owners in Riverhead who believe their properties are over-assessed and are paying too much in property taxes, and they’re right. Over the past several years, Commercial (as opposed to Residential) properties like restaurants, small businesses and retailers have grieved their property taxes down by tens of millions of dollars, collectively. This leaves residential property owners to pick up the slack.

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File A Tax Grievance With Aventine Before the Deadline

As Commercial properties find themselves paying less in taxes, homeowners will be left with higher property tax bills for two primary reasons. One is that the tax rates must increase to account for a lower total assessment across the Town. With fewer overall assessment points, each point needs to carry a larger tax burden. Two is that Commercial Properties with successful grievances are now owed property tax refunds. These refunds are an added expense to the town, and end up being covered by Residential Property owners.

There aren’t many ways to protect yourself from this fate, but the best course of action would be to grieve your property taxes. By filing with the Assessor’s office to lower your assessment, you can decrease your overall tax bill—just as the Commercial Property owners have been doing for years. The safest and most successful way to secure the largest possible reduction is to file through a property Tax Grievance Firm. With expertise, good relationships, and higher success rates, homeowners often find that grieving through a firm, like Aventine Properties, is the most cost-effective option.