Frequently Asked Questions

At Ownwell, we manage the end-to-end property tax appeal process. We combine local property tax consultants with software to build the best evidence and earn you savings.

A property tax is a financial charge levied by local governments on commercial and residential properties within their jurisdiction. They often fund local services like schools, road maintenance, and emergency services.

The basic calculation is (your home’s assessed value - exemptions) X (your area’s property tax rate), resulting in an annual or bi-annual property tax bill.

Note that you might have multiple tax rates for different services.

The most common reasons for an overassessed property are:

• Mass appraisals by counties leading to inaccuracies

• Inaccurate comparable sales, often called “comps”

• Market fluctuations and appraised values don’t reflect the current market

• Missed exemptions that you qualify for

• Inclusion of unbuilt or unfinished improvements

Yes, nearly all U.S. states and local governments allow property tax appeals. It is your right as a homeowner or property owner to ensure you’re fairly taxed.

We serve:

• Homeowners​​

• Commercial real estate owners and investors

• Single-family investors

We also partner with real estate agents, mortgage servicers, property managers, broker/real estate groups, lenders, etc.

Simply enter your address into our residential, commercial, or investor pages. Then, enter your contact information, and sign the Ownwell Service and Authorization Agreements.

After signing up, confirm your email address by entering the confirmation code sent to your email when prompted. 

Please note that once you sign up, you will receive all updates about your property, tax appeal status, etc., via email.

Then, set your password for your personalized property portal and complete your annual property survey. For a more detailed sign-up explanation, go here.

If you’re having trouble, visit our Claim Account page.

After signing up, we verify you’re the property owner and begin working on your property tax appeal. 

Once verified, our tax experts and software analyze your property, gather detailed evidence, and file your appeal before the deadline. We will escalate to a formal appeal depending on the county's response to our informal appeal.

We determine whether you have a strong case for an appeal by:

1. Evaluating your current assessment for errors and available exemptions

2. Perform a comparative market analysis and property data review 

3. Determine if your property’s appraised value is too high due to an overvaluation of the market value and/or unequal appraisal methods

During sign-up, complete the property survey in your property portal by uploading relevant documents and photos that can help with your appeal. Throughout the appeal process itself, sit back and relax. We have you covered. You’ll receive all necessary updates through your portal and by email.

Appeals are submitted between when counties send notices of values and before the county appeal deadline. These deadlines vary by state, county, city, or township.

Once submitted, the process can take a few weeks to several months, depending on your county assessor’s capacity and responsiveness.

You can also check via your property portal by signing in here. If you haven’t already, you can also claim your account here. 

In your portal, you can select your primary or (if applicable) other properties. Once on a property, click “Overview” on the left-hand side to see your property’s appeal status. 

We’ll also email you when we submit your appeal, receive settlements from counties, and send billing notifications.

Our expert local property tax consultants handle all hearings and negotiations with the appraisal district or the assessor's office on your behalf.

No upfront fee: We charge nothing up front and only charge a savings fee after we save you money on your property taxes. If you don’t save money, our service is entirely free.

Savings fee explained: Depending on their state, we charge homeowners 25-35% of their actual property tax savings. 

For example, if our fee is 25% and we reduce your property tax bill from $6,000 to $5,000, our fee is applied to the $1,000 savings. Your final invoiced amount is $250.

Visit our pricing page for more detailed information.

Once your appeal is completed and the county notifies us that it was successful, we’ll notify you of the outcome and total savings achieved. We’ll then send an electronic invoice for payment.

Unlike some competitors, there is no fee to cover poor appeal results. We take every appeal personally and do our best to maximize savings.

Ownwell defines "savings" as the actual reduction in your property tax bill for the specific year we file an appeal on your behalf. 

Importantly, we take any existing exemptions (like the homestead, over 65, etc.) into account when determining these savings. The savings represent the difference between the tax amount you would have paid based on the county's initial assessed value (after exemptions are applied) and the lower tax amount you ultimately pay due to Ownwell successfully achieving a further reduction in that assessed value. 

Our fee is based only on the savings achieved beyond what your exemptions already provide.

After a successful appeal, you’ll likely be entitled to a property tax refund. The refund process varies by jurisdiction and how you pay for property taxes.

• Escrow: If you have a mortgage and taxes are paid through an escrow, the county or tax office will issue the refund to your escrow account. 

• Taxes already paid in full: If you’ve paid your property taxes in full ahead of time, your local tax office will likely mail a refund check to you.

• Pay via installments: If your jurisdiction has you pay property taxes in installments, your refund may be applied to the remaining payments or credited to your account for future tax payments.

We currently offer property tax appeals in Texas, California, Washington, Georgia, Florida, Illinois, and New York.

We also offer retroactive homestead exemption services in most U.S. states and counties.

We service:

• Homeowners

• Investors (single-family rentals)

• Commercial properties (such as multi-family, office, retail, industrial, agricultural/land, etc.)

We cannot service properties that have already filed an appeal for this property tax year. However, if you’re unsatisfied with results from a DIY appeal or using another company, cancel and sign up with Ownwell before you receive next year’s notice of value.

Any personal and property information shared with Ownwell is secure.

Please visit our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use page for detailed information on how Ownwell uses and secures your information and data.

You can contact us in several ways:

• Submit a new request

• Email us at support@ownwell.com 

• Call us

• Get in touch with sales

You can click “My Properties” in the top-right corner of any page to view your current properties.

You can also visit our Sign In page. You can claim your account here if you’ve signed up but haven’t claimed it yet.

If you sell your property during an appeal, please get in touch with us immediately. 

If we successfully reduce your property tax bill, you will still be responsible for your Ownwell invoice regardless of the date of sale.