Property tax problems: New issues uncovered months after Boston 25 report

In June, Boston 25 News introduced you to Lisa Sylvester, who discovered she was being taxed on a garage on her home.

The problem is, she doesn’t have a garage.

Since our report, Norwell's assistant assessor left her job, after being in the position for decades. The town made taxpayers' property cards available online. (Previously taxpayers had to go to the office in person and request it.)  After fighting for months, Lisa Sylvester finally had her assessment corrected.

>> Previous: Massachusetts homeowners paying more than they should in property taxes

But Boston 25 News has learned Lisa, isn’t alone.

Sarah Gibbs has been fighting her assessment for more than a decade.

“I thought I was the only one, I actually did,” said Gibbs.

She’s arguing the square footage of her home is wrong. She even hired a private assessor. She says the square footage of her home will arbitrarily change with the town, but she hasn’t added to the property in decades.

“They can’t tell me why it changed, and it affects how I’m taxed,” sighed Gibbs. “At this point they can’t even produce my record. I bought the house in 1974, I asked for the record back that far, they don’t have them.”

As more people requested their property cards, more problems were discovered. One homeowner showed us her card. Their garage had been assessed as living space, which resulted in paying hundreds of dollars more in taxes. A town-hired independent assessor checked off that he physically inspected inside the home, but the family said that never happened.

“The numbers surprise me, but it shouldn’t because I found even in my own case, they had me taxed on a garage that didn’t exist,” said State Representative David DeCoste of the 5th Plymouth District.

Rep. DeCoste is now working with constituents on legislation that will hopefully bring relief to taxpayers, and establish a system of action that does not exist now.

“We’re going to put together legislation where there will be formal policies in place at the Commonwealth level where people can go and rely on,” stated DeCoste.

The bill mirrors similar legislation in New York. It includes relief like, being able to recoup more than a year’s worth of losses, which is what is currently allowed. It would also create a certificate of errors.

“These are clerical errors that can be corrected very easy without having to go through an entire abatement issue,” said Ted Dawe.

Dawe is helping DeCoste with the bill. He’s also a part of a new advocacy group that’s formed to help homeowners understand their property cards, and to assist in filing abatements.

To make sure you’re not overpaying on your property taxes, be sure to check your property records every year either online or in person. Look at: square footage, outbuildings, and home style. If you find a mistake, apply for an abatement with your town or city. If that is denied, you can appeal to the State Appellate Tax Board.

Gibbs has been going through that process for a while now. She hopes action at the state level will bring about changes in towns and cities.

“The Board of Assessors and other elected officials seem to not want to deal with you. It’s your fault, it’s your problem. They just stonewall. They just don’t want to deal with it,” she said.

Cox Media Group