Tax Assesment

Karen from Pennsylvania asks:
We have a room above our garage identified as a bonus room on our blue prints. It measures about 350 square feet. The room is finished with drywall and carpet and there is A/C and heat ducts going to the room but it is about 90 degrees in the summer and 60 degrees in the winter, being that its in the attic and the farthest from the furnace. . We use it for storage. Our tax assessor said it was livable space, thus taxable on our assessment. We feel it is just what we use it for, attic storage. Is there any chance of us appealing and winning next week at our assessment hearing?
thanks,
Karen

[abezon]

I doubt it, but you can try. Can you get a building inspector out ot say that it's not up to code as living space? If the city won't allow you to live there, the assessor can't claim the space is livable. You might just rip out the carpet and some of the drywall and get it declared non-livable space.

If you do appeal this, the issue will be whether the space is whether the room is a fit living space. The issue is not what you use it for, but whether a person could live in it.

thanks for your advice, I won't go into the hearing expecting too much. I will report after the hearing is over.
Karen

Good luck

Take pictures of that space as evidence for storage only and a signed affidavit attesting that it is used for storage only. Anyplace can be called livable. They can not make any legally determination for you on how you use your own home, unless you use part of it for a small business office or shop. [accually they can not even legally assess that, but they get away with it].

Our Hearing is tomorrow morning, I will keep in mind all that was mentioned here.
Karen

I work closely with an appraiser in my office, and I am from Pennsylvania. Any room or structure which has heat ducted into the room (air conditioning or space heaters are non-essential) constitutes "livable space" and thus, is considered in valuing property tax assessment.

Well, we had the hearing this morning. I don't know the outcome yet but it seemed pretty positive. We explained about the bonus room, they asked if we would be willing to use space heaters and window a/c units, we said we would rather just use the space as storage (which really is true) Then he looked over the comparison assesments of neighbors homes that were similar to ours with comparable land, which we had compiled. I know nothing about assessing real estate but we appear to be assessed at nearly twice the amount as the 3 examples we offered. We were told we would have our answer in 2-3 weeks.
Thanks for everyone suggestions, it made the hearing a little less daunting.
Karen

Thumbs up and good luck.

We have received our results from our tax assesment hearing. They did remove the bonus room from our assesment. Needless to say, we are happy with the outcome. Our taxes have been reduced by $447. Thanks to all who offered helpful insite, this board contains so much useful information.
Karen

Congratulations on your reduced tax, Karen. Let's just hope it doesn't get rescinded by the gubernatorial outcome in November

CHEERS... way to go. never hurts to try does it.

By any chance, do you live in Allegheny County?

I am temporarily in PA for work purposes and do not intend to stay here for more than a year, if that long.