MEDIA RELEASE

LOWER PROPERTY TAXES AT NO CHARGE

Many property taxpayers in Alameda County have recently received a solicitation from a private company that charges a fee for a service the County Assessor performs for free.

The Assessor is required to assess real estate at the property's Proposition 13 indexed base year value, or at the property's January 1st market value, whichever is less. Most properties purchased over five years ago have Proposition 13 base year values well below current market value, even considering the added effect of the 2% annual state mandated inflation index.

Since real estate values have been declining recently, Alameda County Assessor, Ron Thomsen, would like to inform all homeowners who purchased their property in the past several years that his staff is reviewing their upcoming 2008-2009 Proposition 13 assessments to determine if a reduction can be provided. All property owners will receive a pre-tax bill notification in July, detailing their 2008-2009 assessment and indicating any reduction provided.

The private company mentioned above is charging property owners a $95 fee for an opinion of value of properties that the Alameda County Assessor is reviewing at no charge, without even being asked.

If property taxpayers wish to request an individual informal review of their property's 2008-2009 assessed value, they may do so by returning a simple, printable form available on the Assessor's website http://www.acgov.org/assessor/Prop8. This completed form is the same document being submitted to the Assessor by the private company after receiving $95 from the homeowner. The Assessor estimates thousands of properties will receive reductions in assessment without any need for costly assistance from outside parties.

If you have any questions regarding a possible reduced assessment for 2008-09, the Assessor encourages you to call his office at (510) 272-3787 weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.