Szaferman Lakind understands that real estate taxes are often a considerable operating expense that may be increased by an excessive or unfair valuation. Szaferman Lakind’s real estate tax appeal attorneys assist clients in monitoring, reducing, negotiating, and controlling their tax liability by implementing strategic and sophisticated strategies to reduce tax liability. Our attorneys have achieved substantial tax savings for thousands of our corporate, business and residential clients, handling the litigation for all types of commercial, residential, industrial, and special property, including:

• Shopping Centers
• Office buildings
• Hotels
• Apartment buildings
• Hospitals
• Malls
• Service stations
• Manufacturing facilities/plants
• Environmentally troubled properties

At Szaferman Lakind we are well-versed in the complexities of property tax laws. We assist in providing individual strategies and plans to pursue tax reductions, including implementing strategies under the various Tax Abatement Programs, including Payments in Lieu of Taxes (“PILOTS”) and long term abatements. Our goal is to ensure our clients pay only the amount in property taxes required by law through challenging assessment, and have extensive experience in negotiating tax exemptions, abatements, and PILOTS for qualifying projects.

Our attorneys are particularly adept at assisting property owners, taxpaying tenants and other taxpayers in revaluation years. A municipal-wide revaluation provides a rare opportunity to assure that a property is fairly and properly assessed due to some unique considerations. For example, an assessment can be challenged in a revaluation year with the appeal being subjected to the Chapter 123 Corridor rule, often a killer of a tax appeal. Also, because municipal-wide revaluations are formidable tasks for a municipality and its revaluation company, mistakes are often made which can prove to be harmful to a taxpayer. If assessments are adjusted favorably in a revaluation year, it is frequently the case that these corrected assessments will remain unchanged for many years. Our attorneys welcome the opportunity to meet with owners and taxpayers to evaluate the validity of a new assessment and assist with a meritorious appeal.

Prior to filing an appeal, Szaferman Lakind analyzes the matter and determine the appropriateness of an appeal and formulates a strategy that addresses the objectives and needs of the client. In most circumstances, we can provide a cost-free assessment of the property, and determine if appeal is appropriate. In most cases, contingent fee arrangements are available so no legal fees are due unless we are successful in reducing taxes, and the fees would be based off the amount of reduction achieved.