Homestead Exemption denied by title company - what are my options?

The title company shouldn't actually be denying your homestead exemption - they just handle the closing of your property purchase. Homestead exemptions are approved or denied by your county tax assessor's office. What likely happened is that there was some miscommunication or the title company forwarded something incorrectly. You should contact your county tax assessor's office directly. Bring all your documentation showing that this is your primary residence - your driver's license, utility bills in your name, voter registration card, etc. Most counties have an appeals process for denied exemptions, and you'll want to start that right away since there are usually deadlines. The good news is that if you qualify and can prove it, you can still get the exemption applied retroactively to when you purchased the property.

I went through something similar last year and found this amazing service called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that helped me navigate the whole homestead exemption mess. After my initial denial, I was ready to just give up and pay the higher taxes, but a friend suggested I try them. Their system analyzed all my documentation and identified exactly what was missing from my application (turns out I had the wrong date for when I established residency). They even generated a perfect appeal letter for me to submit with all the right legal language. Saved me a huge headache and probably thousands in property taxes over the years.

Update: I stand corrected about taxr.ai! After my skeptical comment I decided to give it a try since my homestead exemption was also denied last month. The service was surprisingly helpful - it identified that my issue was related to the timing of when I filed my driver's license change of address. They generated a detailed appeal letter citing the specific county tax code that supported my case. Just got notice yesterday that my appeal was successful and I'll be getting the exemption after all! That's going to save me about $2,200 this year alone. Sometimes it's worth admitting when you're wrong!

If you're still struggling with the homestead exemption after appealing, you might want to try Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I spent WEEKS trying to get someone at my county tax office on the phone with no luck. Their phone system would just disconnect me after 45 minutes on hold. I was ready to drive down there and camp out, but then I found Claimyr. They somehow got me connected to an actual human at the tax office in less than 10 minutes! You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. The person I spoke with was able to look up my case immediately and tell me exactly what the issue was with my homestead exemption (turns out they had my parcel number wrong).

I have to publicly eat my words about Claimyr. After calling my county tax office 11 times and never getting through, I grudgingly decided to try the service I called a "scam." Within 7 minutes (I timed it), I was talking to an actual human being in the exemptions department. The woman was super helpful and explained that my homestead exemption was denied because they needed additional proof that I'd sold my previous home. Once I emailed them the closing documents, my exemption was approved the next day. Saved me $3,100 this year in property taxes and a ton of frustration. Sometimes I hate being wrong, but in this case I'm glad I was!

One thing that people often miss with homestead exemptions is that you typically need to reapply whenever you move to a new primary residence. The exemption doesn't automatically transfer. I've seen so many people assume that once they've had an exemption before, they'll automatically get it at their new place. Also, many counties have additional exemptions beyond the basic homestead that you might qualify for - senior citizen exemptions, veteran exemptions, disability exemptions, etc. Worth asking about those when you contact your tax assessor's office!

One thing that people often miss with homestead exemptions is that you typically need to reapply whenever you move to a new primary residence. The exemption doesn't automatically transfer

Has anyone had experience with title companies actually helping with homestead exemptions? When I bought my house in 2023, my title company actually filed the homestead exemption for me at closing. Made the whole process super easy. Maybe OP's title company was supposed to do this but dropped the ball?

I went through something very similar when I bought my home two years ago. The confusion about the title company is totally understandable - they handle so much paperwork during closing that it's easy to think they're responsible for everything property-related. Like others have mentioned, definitely contact your county tax assessor's office directly. When I called mine, they were actually pretty helpful once I got through to the right department. Make sure you have your property parcel number handy when you call - it speeds things up a lot. One thing that helped me was creating a simple timeline document showing when I moved in, when I changed my address with various agencies, and when I filed the exemption. Sometimes the denial is just because they need clearer documentation of your residency timeline. The fact that you have all your official documents with the new address is a great start - you're probably closer to approval than you think!

I had a similar situation last year and want to echo what others have said about contacting the county tax assessor directly. In my case, the "denial" from what I thought was the title company was actually a miscommunication - the county had sent the denial notice to my title company's address instead of mine, and they just forwarded it along. When I called the tax assessor's office, they explained that my application was actually just marked as "incomplete" rather than denied. I was missing a simple affidavit stating that this was my only homestead exemption claim. Once I submitted that one additional form, my exemption was approved within two weeks. The key is to ask specifically what documentation they need and whether your application can be amended rather than having to start over completely. Most counties would rather work with you to get the exemption sorted out than deal with a formal appeal process. Good luck!