How Much Are You Over Paying?
There are more property tax protest services on the market than ever. Some charge you upfront, some charge a flat minimum, and others take a percentage only if they save you money.
The fee structure matters, but so does who you go with and what you’re actually getting for it.
Some Services Do the Paperwork. You Still Do the Rest.
A number of newer services will generate a protest packet for you — a document with comparables and a suggested value — for a flat fee.
It sounds helpful. And it can be, if you know what to do with it!
But filing a property tax protest in Texas means more than submitting a form. It usually involves:
Attending an informal hearing with your county appraisal district (CAD)
Presenting your evidence and negotiating a reduction
Going before an Appraisal Review Board (ARB) in some cases
That’s a few hours out of your day to prep and attend a hearing, paperwork you have to understand, and a difficult conversation you have to be ready to have, often on a tight timeline.
For a lot of homeowners, that’s the exact part they were hoping to hand off. A packet is a starting point, not a finished product.
Ownwell handles the entire process:
- Evaluating your property
- Building the case
- Filing the protest
- Representing you at any hearings
You don’t need to show up, prepare arguments, or negotiate with the appraisal district. Our local property tax experts do it on your behalf.
Some Firms Charge a Minimum Fee, Even if They’re Unsuccessful
Some services also charge a flat minimum fee regardless of the outcome, or a contingency fee on savings, whichever is higher.
An example is $150 or 40% of whatever you save on your property tax bill. Ownwell charges only 25% of savings if we’re successful, with no minimum.
That gap is bigger than it looks.
Take a $500,000 home where a protest wins a $5,000 reduction in assessed value. At a 2% effective tax rate, that’s $100 in annual savings.
Example Minimum Fee Firm $150 minimum or 40% of savings | Ownwell 25% of savings, no minimum |
|---|---|
Tax savings: $100 Fee charged: $150 (minimum applies) Net result: −$50 | Tax savings: $100 Fee charged: $25 (25% of $100) Net result: +$75 |
The homeowner in the left column paid $150, got a $100 tax reduction, and is worse off than before they filed.
That’s not a hypothetical. In 2025, more than 51,000 Texas residential properties were in a similar situation: they either paid or owed fees and saw no tax bill savings.
Ownwell only gets paid when your bill goes down, and only as a share of what you actually save.
If we don’t win a reduction, you owe nothing.
Want to Try What Made Ownwell Famous?
What Ownwell’s Full-Service Actually Looks Like
There’s a version of a property tax protest service that hands you a PDF and considers the job done.
And there’s a version that manages the whole thing from start to finish, including showing up on your behalf.
1. Local Experts Who Know Your Market
Ownwell’s team includes local property tax professionals who understand how individual appraisal districts operate, what evidence they respond to, and how to build a case that holds up in a hearing.
2. We Represent You at Hearings
You don’t need to take time off work, sit in a waiting room, or negotiate with an appraiser. Ownwell handles hearings on your behalf. Your job is to sign up; ours is everything after that.
3. No Reductions Means No Fee
Because we take only a percentage of the savings, our interests are completely tied to yours. We make more when we save you more, which means we’re fighting for the best offer the county is willing to give.
4. We Monitor Your Property Year Over Year
Ownwell continues to monitor your assessed value after the first protest. If it’s an unfair assessment in future years, we file again, automatically. You don’t have to track deadlines or re-enroll.
Methodology and Data Disclosure
The figures cited in this article are drawn from 2025 Texas county appraisal district records across 40 counties. The property counts and fee totals reflect residential accounts where a third-party tax agent filed a protest, collected a fee, and the homeowner received no net reduction in their property tax bill.
That outcome covers two scenarios. The first is a straightforward loss, where the appraisal district denies the protest, and the assessed value does not change.
The second is a case in which a homeowner secured a small reduction, but the firm’s minimum fee exceeded the actual tax savings, leaving the homeowner worse off than before filing.
Both are included in the totals above. In either case, the homeowner paid a fee and saw no financial benefit.
