Assessment Appeal Services

Assessment Notices will be mailed in the early part of January 2012. The deadline to file a complaint (Appeal) is Monday, January 31, 2012 at 11:59p.m., PST.

Keystone receives numerous questions regarding property assessments and in January 2012, we will be offering FREE courses in Trail, Castlegar and Nelson that will provide you with a simple step by step process on How to Appeal Your Property Assessment. It is not a complicated process but it can save you money now and into the future. Please click here for more details.

Keystone Appraisals has experience in Assessment Review and Appeal in the Province of British Columbia. Gina Ironmonger has:

Completed Expert Witness and Advocacy Training for the BC Assessment Authority
Qualified as an Expert Witness by both the Property Assessment Review Panels and Assessment Appeal Board
Advocate for the Property Assessment Review Panel
Been a panel member of community Review Panels

In BC only your assessment can be reviewed or appealed - not your taxes! There are strict time guidelines to be followed. Keystone Appraisals can review your assessment while considering the cost benefit to you.

In BC, taxing jurisdictions (schools, hospitals, municipalities, etc.) determine your property tax burden based on your property assessment value in its classification (residential, business and other, industrial, farm, etc.) Sometimes, as a property owner, you get an unwanted surprise in the mail telling you your taxes are going up, and sometimes it may seem as though your assessment is too high.

Often, matters like this can be resolved with a phone call. However, if after discussing your assessment with your local BC Assessment office you still feel as though your property was overvalued, a professional, independent, third-party appraiser is often your best bet in proving your case. That's where we come in.

Time constraints and procedures are unbending in the appeal process, so it's important to enlist the help of a professional appraisal firm that's experienced and trained on the ins and outs of BC Assessment. Gina has over 14 years of experience with BC Assessment.

Please note: It makes sense to do your own research before determining whether to go forward with a property assessment appeal, especially before you make the decision to hire a professional appraiser. When you hire us for an assessment appeal, you're commissioning an independent, third-party professional appraisal report. As such we do our own evaluation, beginning to end. If you're right that your property has been overvalued, an independent report such as ours will be even more persuasive than any other evidence you can marshal on your own, but it depends on our ability to do the work independently.

Sometimes, you will have a hearing on your assessment appeal and will need for the appraiser you've hired to testify on your behalf. Be assured that at Keystone Appraisals Inc., we are able to professionally and persuasively testify at appeal hearings. Browse our website to learn more about our qualifications, expertise and services offered.