Real Property Appeals 101 for McDonald’s Franchisees

First, many thanks to Jack Schindler for authoring this post.

Do you review your property assessments when received? Or do you pay your annual property tax bill after a cursory review of the value and not realize that the assessed value can be appealed?

As a taxpayer, you have the right to review and challenge your assessments which helps you to better control your annual real estate tax expense. CLA’s real property appeals practice can assist with appealing your property value and possibly help reduce your property tax burden.

Jack Schindler leads CLA’s real property tax appeals practice and has over 30 years of experience filing appeals for all types of properties across the United States. Jack and his team are ready to assist you in reviewing your assessments, and when warranted, file an appeal.

Assessment and appeals process

Assessed values on real property have been increasing at a significant pace, resulting in increased property taxes. Most states reassess the real property annually; a few states reassess on a two- to seven-year cycle. Knowing the individual state cycles is key — if an appeal deadline is missed, significant tax savings could be foregone. Once assessment notices are sent, there is a limited window of time to file an appeal.

Our services

Our property tax team uses certain valuation approaches and other metrics to determine if a property is overvalued. If it’s determined to be overvalued, our team will begin the process of appealing the assessed value. If there is any doubt, an informal appeal can be filed to protect your appeal rights. We work directly with the assessor to negotiate a fair value.

How to get started

We can do a quick review of your property assessment to advise on whether you are being fairly valued. Email a copy of your real estate tax bills to your CLA McDonald’s franchise team and request property tax appeals services.