Politics & Government

Hillsdale Property Inspections Start Wednesday

The borough is appraising the value of homes and commercial properties for a tax revaluation.

Inspectors from Realty Appraisal Company are scheduled to begin visiting Hillsdale homes and businesses Wednesday for a borough-wide tax revaluation, according to Councilman Douglas Frank.

Hillsdale officials decided to have a revaluation done because too many property owners, including expensive commercial property owners, were successfully appealing their taxes, according to Mayor Max Arnowitz. When a property owner wins an appeal, it ends up costing the municipality extra money because they have to return some local taxes as well as county and school taxes from the town's budget, Arnowitz said.

Frank said about 25 percent of residents are expected to see lower taxes, about 25 percent are expected to see higher taxes and about 50 percent will remain roughly steady.

Find out what's happening in Westwood-Hillsdalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"Doing a revaluation does not necessarily mean your taxes are going to go down," Arnowitz said.

The inspectors will need to examine both the exterior and interior of buildings. They will leave a note to schedule an appointment if no adults are home. Residents can also refuse entry to the inspectors, but the appraisal will then be made from just the exterior. In those cases, the inspectors "assess high," Arnowitz said.

Find out what's happening in Westwood-Hillsdalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Officials cautioned residents to make sure inspectors have identification. A complete list of the inspectors, with photos, is available online here.

Arnowitz also suggested residents check out the inspectors' work on their homes in the Municipal Building. Previous revaluations have included numerous errors, he said. In a personal example, Arnowitz said an inspector incorrectly credited his home with having four garages instead of two.

"Don't be afraid to come down and check your sheet," Arnowitz said. "There's no charge."

After the inspections are done, appraisers will determine the value of the properties and value notices will be sent out. The inspections should be done by October and residents should expect any changes to affect their taxes by next year.

Borough officials and representatives from Realty Appraisal Company will be holding meetings with residents to answer any questions about the process. Patch will have information about the meetings when it becomes available.

Have a question or news tip? Contact editor Jim Leggate at Jim.Leggate@patch.com, or find us on Facebook and Twitter. For news straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here