Appeal Your ORLEANS

Property Tax Assessment

Don’t get stuck with an unfair valuation and the potential for years of higher taxes.

Orleans Parish Property Tax Assessment Appeals

You can file an appeal starting July 15, 2024, when the Assessment Open Rolls period starts.


In Orleans Parish, residents will have the chance to contest their 2025 assessment during the open rolls period starting on July 15, 2024. Because the open rolls period is fairly short--only about one month--we encourage property owners to begin to think about the assessment process early, particularly if you were unhappy with last year's assessment. Assessments are seldom independent from year to year, so last year's bad assessment may haunt you for tax cycles to come.


The Stow Firm is offering several representation packages to assist property owners in appealing their property tax assessment, depending on the assessed value of your property. We have represented both residential and commercial property owners, with a particular focus on hotels and other hospitality clients.


Our Appeal service includes:


  • E-filing your Board of Review or Parish level appeal using the proper forms and submitting the required supporting documentation
  • A short phone call to discuss your particular property, our negotiation strategy, and other types of supporting documentation to gather
  • A tailored, professional assessment appeal report outlining seven areas of concern and how each impacts your property, this includes:
  • A market comparison cost analysis conducted for your property by a licensed Louisiana realtor
  • A neighborhood comparison assessment analysis conducted for your property
  • Crime map information for your property
  • Rental and investment property specific evaluations
  • Insurance and property maintenance concerns 
  • Any implications of sales chasing (assessing based solely on the recent purchase price)
  • Commercial-specific considerations, if appropriate
  • Negotiating on your behalf with the Assessor’s Office
  • If you are unsatisfied with the results of the Board of Review, we will appeal to the Louisiana Tax Commission, this includes:
  • Additional negotiation with the Assessor's Office
  • Supplementing your materials with the Louisiana Tax Commission, as necessary
  • Representation before the Louisiana Tax Commission at your hearing in Baton Rouge, including submitting evidence

Orleans Parish Property Assessment Appeal Questions

If you still have questions, feel free to contact us below.

  • When is the Open Roll period in Orleans Parish?

    The Orleans Parish Assessor holds the annual Open Rolls inspection period from July 15, 2024, for about a month. The official end date has not yet been announced for this year. You can check the Assessor's  website for more updates. 

  • What if I miss the Open Roll period?

    If you want to appeal your Orleans Parish property assessment (ie. appeal your property taxes) you MUST file an initial appeal during the Open Rolls period. If you do not file an appeal during this time, there is no other opportunity to appeal for the entire year.  

  • Can I appeal my property assessment myself?

    Of course, you can represent yourself in your tax appeal. However, keep in mind that the appeal process can be quite complicated, especially if your appeal reaches the Louisiana Tax Commission. This year, the vast majority of self-represented residential appellants to the Tax Commission were forced to withdraw their appeals due to missed deadlines that resulted in their evidence being excluded. 

  • What is the best evidence to appeal my property taxes?

    The Stow Firm will create a professional presentation for your property that highlights the best evidence that your home is overvalued. Some examples of this type of evidence include neighborhood property values, recent property sales, and evidence of property damage.

  • How much does your residential appeal service cost?

    Our pricing for property tax assessment appeal services depends on the assessed value of your residential property:


    Assessed value under $400,000 = $299


    Assessed value of $400,000 to under $700,000 = $399


    Assessed value of $700,000 to under $1,000,000 = $499


    Assessed value of $1,000,000 or more = $699


    Please note that these prices do not include any appraisal fees or other potential applicable fees. 

  • What if I own commercial property?

    The Stow Firm also handles tax appeals for commercial properties across Louisiana. For more information about this service, please visit our Commercial Tax Appeal page. 

  • If I hire the Stow Firm, what do I have to do?

    We will ask you a few questions about the property. We will also give you a list of the type of information that it would be helpful for us to have, if available. We will also ask you to sign a document allowing us to act as your representative. That's it! If you'd like to attend a hearing, you are welcome to, but it isn't necessary. We'll handle it all. 

  • How can I tell how much my taxes will be?

    The Orleans Assesor provides a calculator to estimate your Orleans Parish property taxes. You can find it here. Be aware that this calculator does not include any special neighborhood fees, like private security districts. However, it can show you why it is important to reduce your property assessment if possible:


    For instance, a home assessed at $50,000 (property value of $500,000) results in a tax bill of almost $6,700 without homestead exemption.  If that home's assessed value was reduced to $40,000 (property value of $400,000) the tax bill would drop to less than $5,400. While this is just an example, it shows the value of reducing your property assessment if you can. Don't pay more than your fair share!

What is Sales Chasing?

Sales chasing is the practice of determining a property's assessed value based only on the property's recent sales price. This type of assessment results in unfair differences in assessed value between properties that have recently sold and comparable properties that have not recently sold. Sales chasing is prohibited in Louisiana and is not allowed by the Louisiana Tax Commission. In December 2023, the Louisiana Legislative Auditor released a report highlighting the Orleans Parish Assessor's Office's practices concerning sales chasing. The report found "that [the Orleans Assessor's Office] likely used the LTC-prohibited practice of sales chasing for tax year 2024, which caused recently sold properties to be overvalued relative to properties that were not recently sold. For the owners of the 3,803 single family and two-family houses that were potentially sales chased, this meant that their assessed values were 13.3% higher than those of similar properties without recent sales."

Download Auditor's Report

" We saved almost $1,500 off last year's property taxes.

I never expected to save that much! "

--A happy Orleans Parish Stow Firm client after having his $53,400 home assessment reduced.

                                                                                                                                                                                                   *results representative but not guaranteed

   

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