Beware of Homestead Exemption Scams and Property Tax Site Lookalikes
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Taking care of property taxes is a universally disliked task, but having to navigate misleading websites and dodge unscrupulous companies — well, that’s just not fair. Within the realm of legitimate property tax protest services, bad-acting entities lie in wait, poised to exploit unsuspecting homeowners.
As the deadline for protesting your property taxes approaches, here are two critical traps to watch out for:
Homestead Exemption Scam
Some companies, masquerading as agents for property tax protests — and shockingly even legitimate property tax protest agents — engage in deceptive practices by charging homeowners for filing their homestead exemption.
During a recent CandysDirt.com webinar about property tax protests, PropertyTax.io founder Glenn Goodrich warned viewers of such unscrupulous acts.
Homeowners are either coerced into paying a company to file their homestead exemption for them or manipulated into agreeing to a percentage of the savings obtained from the exemption. Filing for a homestead exemption is not only free but also easily achievable without the need for intermediary services.
Texas consumers who encounter such companies can report suspicious or fraudulent activity by filing a complaint with the Texas Attorney General’s office online at https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/cpd/file-a-consumer-complaint.
Misleading Online Platforms
The internet can be a double-edged sword, especially when it comes to researching property tax matters. Commercial third-party websites, often bearing a striking resemblance to authentic government sites, capitalize on confusion to lure unsuspecting homeowners. When searching for “county property tax protest” online, you’ll likely see these sites that top the Google search results and even populate the search engine’s “featured snippets.”
A prime example is the site Collincountyappraisaldistrict.org. Despite its appearance of legitimacy and its top search ranking, it is not affiliated with CCAD (Collin County Appraisal District). Moreover, such misleading sites may display outdated information, leading homeowners — and shockingly search engines — astray regarding crucial deadlines and procedures.
So when you search for “when is Collin County property tax protest deadline,” the quick — and incorrect — answer appears below. But that’s not the protest deadline. It’s May 15, 2024.
How does that happen? Google’s Featured Snippet is displaying this incorrect information, based on the site page shown below. (We are not linking to the page, which might increase the misleading website’s authority with search engines, or repeating the incorrect property tax deadline in text.) The site in question is 10 years old, which Google appears to interpret as more trustworthy than the official CCAD site, which is newer.
CandysDirt.com looked into such misleading practices and encountered challenges in reaching out to the webmaster responsible for this deceptive site. An attempt to address misinformation on Collincountyappraisaldistrict.org was thwarted when an email bounced back from an invalid Gmail address, raising suspicions about the authenticity and intentions of these online entities.
We sent feedback and filed a report with a screenshot to Google stating that the information was incorrect and not affiliated with a government website, and offered a source link to the correct May 15 deadline.
We’ll check back to see if the incorrect information is taken down.
How to File a Protest in North Texas
Collin County
Admittedly, after seeing the misleading site outrank the official county site, you could say Collin County’s website isn’t SEO optimized. CCAD’s top search result is a PDF or a press release from two years ago. But we can confirm the Collin County property tax deadline is May 15, 2024.
May 15, 2024 — Homeowner deadline to file a written protest of valuation.
Site: Collin County Appraisal District
How do I file a protest?
Collin County residents may protest online by using the eFile system or visit the office to file in person or mail their protest. The office is located at 250 Eldorado Pkwy, McKinney and open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Faxes or emails are not accepted for protests.
To access Collin County’s online protest system, search properties to locate your account and click eFile Your Protest or visit the eFile site.
Denton County
May 15, 2024 — Homeowner deadline to file a written protest of valuation.
Site: Denton County Appraisal District
How to protest
Homeowners may file a property tax protest through the E-File Portal at eprotest.dentoncad.com or complete the Notice of Protest and submit via mail to the Appraisal Review Board at 3911 Morse St
Denton, TX 76208-6331. They may visit in person or use the night dropbox there.
Denton County has a robust page with frequently asked questions about filing a county property tax protest.
Tarrant County
May 24, 2024 — Homeowner deadline to file a written protest of valuation.
Site: Tarrant Appraisal District
Tarrant County homeowners have a bit longer to file their property tax protest. After a cyberattack held the government’s site and records for ransom, the Tarrant Appraisal District (TAD) was delayed in sending out notices, which are typically sent by April 15. This year they were sent out one to two weeks later, so the deadline to file a protest in Tarrant County was set for May 24, 2024.
As a result, the county launched a new, more user-friendly protest filing system. According to TAD, the new portal is full of features to make online searches and payments easier. Links to the old tax payment application have been deactivated.
To protest
You can file an online protest on their website using the Online PIN found on your mailed Value Notice. Find more information about Tarrant County’s specific procedures after the new system was implemented on their site at TAD.org/property-tax-protest-and-appeal-procedures.
Rockwall County
May 15, 2024 — Homeowner deadline to file a written protest of valuation.
Site: Rockwall County Appraisal District
You can file your protest either online by visiting RockwallCAD.org and logging in to the public portal, or file a protest by mail or in person. The office is located at 841 Justin Road, Rockwall.
According to Rockwall CAD, you’ll find detailed instructions to protest within your mailed property tax statement, though we were not able to find any detailed instructions online. We did find the protest form available on Rockwall County’s site.
Dallas County
May 15, 2024 — Homeowner deadline to file a written protest.
Site: Dallas County Appraisal District
How do I file a protest?
DCAD prefers homeowners protest online by using the uFile Online Protest program, but they may visit the office to file in person or mail their protest. The office is located at 2949 N. Stemmons Freeway, and open 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Faxes or emails are not accepted for protests.
To access the uFile System to protest your account, click Search Appraisals to locate your account and then select the uFile Online Protest link. The protest link appears on your online account.
DCAD does offer this comprehensive PDF guide to protesting your property taxes in Dallas County, though a PDF isn’t ideal for search results and site visitors who can’t open a PDF.
