Tax assessor may increase your taxes by accident!

One year I was looking over my tax assessments on the different properties that I own. I was comparing a duplex with another property not near as nice or expensive and I noticed the less expensive property had noticeably higher taxes than the other one. I went in to the city to challenge the assessment. When they brought out the statement they said, “so you have two decks on your property” and I said, “no, just one”
“your basement is finished,right?” I said, “no”
Then she said “oh, well we just assume that after 10 years people have finished their basements and we tax them accordingly. We can’t get out to see every house to make the assessments.”
They made the necessary adjustments and lowered my taxes but if I had not gone in to challenge them, I would never have got the correct information on this property and would’ve been paying high taxes forever on things that weren’t even there.
When you get your tax notice sometimes it’s good to chat with your neighbours to see if yours is in line with their’s. Sometimes there are mistakes. I appreciate the city and all the work they do but no one is infallible.
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