Can I take over property tax appeals from my attorney who keeps successfully reducing my property taxes?

I've been using this property tax attorney for about 5 years now who automatically appeals my property taxes on a rental I own. He's been pretty successful - we get around $2,700 knocked off each year, which is great, but I have to give him 50% of whatever we save. I'm starting to think I could probably do this myself and keep the full refund amount. My concern is how he might react if I try to end our arrangement. He's been somewhat aggressive in our email exchanges before (like demanding his cut of the refund plus late fees before I even receive the check from the county treasurer). Honestly, his attitude makes me a little nervous about confronting him. Has anyone successfully taken over their own property tax appeals after using an attorney? Any suggestions for how to approach this conversation? I'd like to have a solid game plan before I reach out to him. The appeals have been following the same basic pattern each year, and I think I understand the process well enough now to handle it myself.

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18 comments

Ethan Clark

•8M

Property tax appeal specialist here. This is actually a very common situation! After several successful appeals with the same property, many people realize they can handle future appeals themselves. First, review your contract with the attorney. Many tax appeal contracts are year-to-year or appeal-by-appeal, not perpetual agreements. Check if you're actually obligated for future years or if you simply need to not renew. If there's no explicit multi-year commitment, you can simply notify him that you'll be handling future appeals yourself. For the notification, keep it professional and brief - something like "Thank you for your successful work on my behalf. Moving forward, I'll be handling my property tax appeals independently." I recommend doing this via email so you have a written record of the communication. If he pushes back, politely restate your decision and reference the terms of your agreement. The process itself isn't particularly complex once you've seen it done a few times - you're essentially comparing your property valuation to comparable properties with lower assessments.

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Aisha Hussain

•8M

Thanks for the advice! I'll review my contract today. I'm pretty sure we don't have a multi-year agreement, but I want to confirm before reaching out. I've been watching the process all these years and it does seem straightforward - he basically compiles comparable property values and submits the paperwork before the deadline. Do you think I should wait until after this year's appeal process is complete before telling him I'm taking over? Or should I do it before he starts the next round?

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Ethan Clark

•8M

I'd recommend waiting until after the current appeal cycle is complete. This gives you clean closure on that appeal and avoids any complications during an active case. Once that cycle completes and you've settled up with him, then notify him before the next cycle begins. Use this time to gather all the documentation from previous appeals so you understand exactly what was submitted. Most counties have fairly straightforward forms and processes for property tax appeals. The key is making a compelling case with good comparable properties and filing everything before the deadline.

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StarStrider

•8M

Just wanted to share my experience with using taxr.ai for property tax appeals. I was in a similar situation where I had been using a property tax attorney for several years and decided to try handling it myself. I was intimidated by all the paperwork and finding the right comparable properties, but someone recommended taxr.ai to me. I uploaded my property tax documents to https://taxr.ai and they analyzed my assessment compared to similar properties in my area. The software helped me compile all the evidence I needed and generated the paperwork for my appeal. It was WAY easier than I expected, and I saved over $3,400 on my assessment without having to split it with an attorney.

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StarStrider

•8M

The software does both - it finds comparable properties and helps formulate the arguments based on those comps. For unique properties, it actually does a pretty good job of finding relevant comparisons and explaining why they're valid despite any differences. It looks at factors like square footage, amenities, location quality, and recent sales in your area. Regarding cost, it's significantly less than the 50% contingency most attorneys charge. I can't share specific pricing here, but it was worth it for me since I saved the full refund amount minus a much smaller fee. The ROI made sense given the amount I was saving on my property taxes.

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Carmen Ruiz

•8M

I wanted to follow up about my experience with taxr.ai after being skeptical in my earlier comment. I decided to give it a try since my property tax bill increased by almost 25% this year. The process was surprisingly straightforward - I uploaded my assessment notice and property details to https://taxr.ai and within a day received a comprehensive analysis showing my property was assessed at about 18% higher than comparable properties in my neighborhood. The system generated all the appeal documents I needed with the supporting evidence already formatted for my county's requirements. I submitted everything myself and just received notification that my assessment was reduced by $4,100! No splitting the savings with an attorney this time. Seriously worth checking out if you're considering taking over your own appeals.

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Andre Lefebvre

•8M

If you're having trouble getting responses from your county tax assessor's office, I highly recommend Claimyr. I tried handling my own property tax appeal last year but couldn't get anyone on the phone to answer my questions about the appeal deadline and process. After wasting hours on hold, I found https://claimyr.com which gets you on the phone with a real person at government agencies. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I used it to connect with my county assessor's office and actually spoke to someone who walked me through exactly what I needed to do for my appeal. Saved me tons of time and frustration.

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Andre Lefebvre

•8M

They use technology that navigates phone trees and waits on hold for you. When a real person answers, you get a call connecting you directly to that person. It's not magic - they're just automating the holding process so you don't have to waste your time. For government offices like county assessors that are notoriously difficult to reach, it's incredibly useful. They can't make agencies pick up faster, but they handle all the waiting so you don't have to sit there listening to hold music for hours.

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Jamal Anderson

•8M

Wanted to update after trying Claimyr because I was so skeptical about it actually working. I had a deadline for filing my property tax appeal and needed some specific information about the process for my county. Used the service yesterday and honestly was shocked when my phone rang about 40 minutes later with an actual person from the assessor's office on the line. Got all my questions answered and found out I needed to include some documentation I wouldn't have known about otherwise. I would have missed the filing deadline if I'd continued trying to get through on my own. The assessor's office employee even gave me her direct extension for follow-up questions! Definitely using this again next time I need to deal with any government phone line.

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Mei Wong

•8M

I went through this exact situation last year! My attorney had been appealing for 4 years and I decided to take over. Here's what worked for me: 1) I waited until AFTER he completed that year's appeal and I paid him his portion. Clean break. 2) I sent a simple email: "Thank you for your services over the past years. I've decided to handle future property tax appeals myself going forward." 3) He actually responded with "No problem, good luck!" and that was it. The process itself wasn't complicated. I looked at the forms he had filed previously, gathered similar comparable properties, and submitted before the deadline. Saved myself over $1500 by keeping the full reduction. One tip - make sure you know your county's appeal deadline. I almost missed it the first year on my own because I didn't realize it was earlier than I thought.

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Mei Wong

•8M

Not at all! The agreement was for his services on a per-appeal basis, not for "teaching" me anything. It's like hiring a plumber - they don't get to claim a percentage of all future savings on your water bill just because you watched them fix your pipes. Property tax appeals are a standard process that anyone can learn. The forms and procedures are publicly available, and what constitutes a valid comparable property isn't some proprietary secret. Your attorney doesn't own the concept of property tax appeals. Just make sure you're not in the middle of an active appeal when you end things. Complete the current cycle, pay what you owe under your agreement, then notify him before the next cycle begins that you'll be handling it yourself going forward.

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