Community Watchdog

John Peguillan, chairman of Nassau's Assessment Review Commission, encourages homeowners to appeal their tax assessment themselves.

Nassau County homeowners who are thinking about appealing the tax assessment on their homes but haven’t yet started the process need to get moving. March 3 is the no-exceptions deadline.

In Nassau, tax assessment challenges are handled by the Assessment Review Commission (ARC), which is independent of the Nassau County Assessor, who sets the assessment. In Suffolk County, property owners have until May 15 to file, and the process is done by the towns.

Nassau is the only muncipality in the state where appeals can be filed online ARC Chairman John Peguillan (PEG’-A-LON) said. Go to ARC’s Web site and its link to AROW (Assessment Review on the Web) for the application and the Sales Locator that lists data on comparable sales in your area.

Click below the video player to read more.

The deadline for homeowners to challenge their property tax assessments in Nassau County is looming. March 3 is the absolute deadline and there are helpful Web sites to help homeowners to file their own appeal.

Check out the Nassau County Assessment Review Commission’s Web site and the Assessment Review on the Web (AROW).

The sales locator feature in AROW allows you to find comparable sales in your neighborhood. Use the information to determine whether the assessment on your home is too high. If so, you may have a good chance on appeal.

More on this to come.

Newsday photo by Ken Spencer

We live in a senior complex of townhouses and condos called Mill Pond Acres. We all moved in at the same time, paid the same price and the units are the same size, with the same amenities. Everything is exactly the same but we have different assessments. Everyone here knows it isn’t right.
-- Joan Byrne, Port Washington

While our caller insists that all the units in her area are the same and that everyone should be assessed equally, Nassau County Assessor Harvey Levinson is firm that the varying assessments are justified.

“Although these homes look alike,” he said, “our records show they vary in square footage.” Units have 2-3 bathrooms, some owners qualify for the state’s enhanced STAR program that reduces school property taxes and some have veteran’s exemptions. Some units may have a lower assessment because they were purchased at pre-construction prices, Levinson said.

Assessments are also based on comparable home sales in the area, which can be viewed online. Click on Property Search and follow the prompts.

Levinson said assessments are also based on market value, so units with lower assessments will eventually catch up to those with higher ones.

Homeowners can also appeal their assessment, he said.

Also related to this topic:

*Nassau County Assessor's Office
*Suffolk County Town Assessors