Request for Reappraisal
A Request for Reappraisal is an informal opportunity to review and discuss any concerns you may have about your property assessment.
Real Estate Assessor's Office
Virginia Relay TTY
Tax Payments
Please be aware regardless of appeals status, you must pay your taxes on time or you will be charged penalties and interest for late payment. First installment tax bills are due December 5. Second installment bills are due June 5.
Real property taxes are based on the assessed value as determined by the City Assessor, and the tax rate set by City Council. If you disagree with the assessed value of your property, you may submit a Request for Reappraisal with the City Assessor. Assessment staff is happy to discuss your concerns as well as the methodology reviewed to determine your value.
The deadline to file an Internal appeal to the Assessor is April 30th. Sec. 35-35. - Equalization of assessments
Request for reappraisal applications are available during the open period of appeal.
Appeal Information
The focus of the appeal should support evidence that the property is valued more than market value, that the assessment is not uniform in its application (not equalized), or that there are mistakes in fact (errors in property characteristics or computations). The amount of change from the previous year’s assessment is not a legal basis for appeal. The effective date of the assessment is July 1st and is based on sales and data available through the previous calendar year.
There are three different considerations for appeal available:
- Property is assessed at more (or less) than the fair market value
- Property assessment lacks uniformity
- There are errors in property data or calculations
The best way to verify the assessment of your property is to compare it to the appropriate calendar year sales and assessments of similar properties. All real estate assessments are a matter of public record, and you can find assessments, sales, and property characteristics using the Property Search site.
If a person other than the recorded owner of the property wishes to discuss valuations, a notarized Letter of Authorization (LOA) is required before property information can be discussed. The original LOA must be on file before any discussion. Please follow the LOA Instructions carefully as incomplete LOAs will result in non-acceptance of an appeal application.
After speaking with an appraiser familiar with the market area, if a property owner would like to further appeal the assessment, they may file a Request for Reappraisal. The appeal deadline is April 30th of each year.
- Office Contact: When the request is received, the Assessor will log the application to track progress and assignments status. An appraiser familiar with the property will review the application and will contact the owner to discuss concerns and share information on how the assessment value was determined.
- Property Inspection: Based on the review of concerns, the appraiser typically requests the opportunity to perform an interior and exterior inspection of the property to verify accuracy of size, condition, quality, and other characteristics of the property.
- Office Review: The appraiser will then review all information and completes a recommendation. The recommendation is then reviewed by the appraiser’s supervisor. The recommendation is then submitted to the City Assessor for a final determination.
- Results: There are three possible results of a request: a decrease, no change, or increase in the assessment. In all cases, written notification will be mailed to the owner. If the owner disagrees with the determination, the next option is to appeal to the Board of Equalization.
The annual Real Estate Assessment Notice is mailed to property owners and posted online in March of each year. Owners are encouraged to review the notice and verify property characteristics and other assessment information that is available on the Assessor’s Property Search site.
Appraisers are available to discuss assessments, property information, and the valuation process from March through April 30th
of each year.
Contact our office by phone (757-385-4601, email at assessor@vbgov.com, or by mail (or in person) at 2424 Courthouse Drive, Building 18, Virginia Beach, Virginia 23456.
Application forms are specific to Commercial or Residential property and are available during the application period (March – April 30th of each year).