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Property Tax Appeals

Your Property Tax Assessment Should Reflect the Market Not an Inflated Value

If your property’s assessed value exceeds what the market supports, you may be paying more in property taxes than necessary.

Druian & Associates provides residential property tax appeal services throughout Southern California, combining more than 25 years of real estate appraisal experience with professional tax appeal representation. As a registered tax agent, we can assist property owners through the assessment appeal process from the initial review and valuation analysis through filing, evidence preparation and the Assessment Appeals Board hearing.

call 818-355-7168

Request a Property Tax Appeal Consultation

Send us the property address and current assessed value to get started.
Consultation Form

Property Tax Appeal Services

We assist with:

Proposition 8 decline-in-value appeals

Base year value disputes

Supplemental assessments

Change-in-ownership reassessments

New construction and remodel assessments

Escape and corrected assessments

Wildfire and disaster-related reassessments

Assessment Appeals Board hearings

Property Tax Assessment Calculation

Proposition 8 decline in value

If your home’s market value on the lien date has fallen below its factored base year value, your assessment can be lowered for that year. This is the most common residential appeal, and it depends entirely on showing what your home was actually worth on that date.
Proposition 8 Decline in Value

Base year value appeals

When a purchase, inheritance or new construction sets your base year value, that number follows you for as long as you own the home. Getting it right matters far more than any single year’s bill, because every future assessment is built on it.
Assessment Appeals Board evidence

Assessment Appeals Board evidence

A complete, hearing-ready appraisal package with carefully selected comparable sales, clear adjustments and reasoning a board member can follow without an appraisal background.
Supplemental and escape assessments

Supplemental and escape assessments

A supplemental or escape assessment can arrive months after a purchase, transfer or completed project. These carry their own filing deadlines, counted from the date on the notice, and they’re easy to miss.
New construction and remodel assessments

New construction and remodel assessments

When the county adds value for an addition, ADU or major remodel, it often uses project cost rather than market value. What you spent and what the work added are frequently different numbers, and only the second one is assessable.
Commercial industrial and income property

Wildfire and disaster reassessments

If your home was damaged or destroyed by fire, flood or another calamity, you may qualify for a temporary reduction. We document the loss in value so the reassessment reflects the home’s actual condition.

We Handle the Valuation and the Appeal

A successful property tax appeal begins with determining what the property was actually worth on the applicable valuation date.

Unlike companies that simply file an appeal based on an estimated value, Druian & Associates approaches the process from an appraiser’s perspective. We analyze the property, research relevant market activity, select and adjust comparable sales, and develop an independent opinion of value supported by market evidence.

When appropriate, we can also act as the property owner’s registered tax agent and present the valuation evidence through the assessment appeal process.

Proposition 8 Decline in Value

When a property’s market value as of January 1 falls below its factored base year value, California law may allow the property to be temporarily assessed at the lower market value.

The key question is not what the property is worth today. It is what the property was worth on the applicable January 1 lien date.

Our analysis focuses on relevant market evidence surrounding that date and the specific characteristics of the property rather than relying solely on automated estimates or broad neighborhood statistics.

Proposition 8 Decline in Value

Assessment Appeals Require Evidence

Filing an appeal does not establish that an assessment is incorrect. The requested value must be supported by credible market evidence.

With more than 12,500 appraisals and reviews completed and extensive experience with complex residential properties, Druian & Associates approaches property tax appeals as valuation assignments first. The objective is to present a well-supported opinion of value that can be clearly explained and defended.

Residential Property Types

We provide tax appeal services for:

Single-family residences, luxury and estate properties, condominiums, townhomes, 2–4 unit residential properties, vacant residential land, hillside and view properties, oceanfront homes, new construction, ADUs, historic residences, leasehold properties and other complex or unique residential real estate.

How the Process Works

Initial Assessment Review

Send us your property address and current assessed value. We review the assessment against available market evidence to determine whether there appears to be a reasonable basis for an appeal.

Property Valuation

When an appeal is warranted, we develop the valuation evidence necessary to support the requested assessment. Depending on the assignment, this may include an appraisal, comparable-sale analysis, property inspection, market research and review of the property's assessment history.

Appeal Filing

As a registered tax agent, Druian & Associates can prepare and file the Assessment Appeal Application on behalf of an authorized property owner and track the matter through the appeal process.

Evidence Preparation

We assemble the relevant valuation evidence in a clear and supportable format for consideration by the County Assessor and Assessment Appeals Board.

Assessment Appeals Hearing

When a hearing is necessary, we can represent the property owner as the registered tax agent and provide appraisal expertise and valuation testimony in support of the appeal.

How Property Tax Process Works

Southern California Property Tax Appeals

Druian & Associates provides property tax appeal and appraisal services throughout Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego Counties.

Each county has its own filing requirements and deadlines. Contact us as soon as you receive an assessment or reassessment notice so that the applicable filing period can be reviewed.

  • Los Angeles
  • Orange
  • Riverside
  • San Diego
  • Ventura
  • Santa Barbara
  • San Bernardino

Property tax appeal questions

The questions homeowners ask most before deciding whether to file.hether to file.
What is a property tax appeal?
It’s a formal request asking the county to lower your home’s assessed value because it’s higher than market value. The county Assessment Appeals Board weighs the evidence each side presents. Since your tax bill is calculated from the assessed value, a reduction lowers what you pay.
California generally limits annual increases in assessed value. But if your home’s market value on January 1 drops below that limited value, Proposition 8 allows the county to assess it at the lower market value for that year. The reduction is temporary and is reviewed annually as the market changes.
The regular filing period opens July 2 and closes on September 15 or November 30, depending on your county. Supplemental and escape assessments have their own deadline, generally 60 days from the date on the notice. Always confirm the date with your county.
Compare your assessed value with what similar homes nearby sold for around January 1. If comparable sales point to a noticeably lower figure, you may have a case. Our free first look does this comparison for you.
You can submit sales yourself, but boards give more weight to evidence that is well-chosen, properly adjusted and clearly explained. An independent appraisal presents your case the way the board is used to evaluating value.
We’re appraisers, not tax agents or attorneys, so we don’t act as your representative. We provide the valuation evidence and can testify to it as the appraiser if the board wants to hear from us.
After the free review, we quote a flat fee. We’ll tell you plainly if the potential savings don’t justify the cost. Because a successful appeal can lower your taxes for more than one year, the benefit often exceeds the fee.
It’s uncommon, but a board can set a value higher than your current assessment if the evidence supports it. That’s one reason we give you an honest opinion before you file.
Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Diego, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Bernardino.

Find Out Whether Your Assessment Is Worth Appealing

Before you spend money pursuing an appeal, we can review the property and assessment to determine whether the available market evidence indicates that an appeal may be warranted.

Send us the property address and current assessed value to get started.

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