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A Stitch in Time Saves Nine

Nova Scotia’s 2018 Preliminary Property Assessments are available on the Property Valuation Service Corporation (PVSC)’s website, and there is a brief window to discuss assessments with PVSC assessors prior to the assessment roll being finalized on December 1st.

Between now and then, the PVSC is encouraging property owners to discuss any errors or provide additional information which may have an impact on the value of their property. The benefits in taking advantage of this opportunity are:

  1. It provides a higher level of certainty in preparing tax budgets for the 2018 fiscal year (for both the owner, and the municipality).
  2. It provides property owners with an opportunity to address concerns with 2018 assessments outside of the formal appeal process, and before the values are finalized and inserted on the official assessment roll.
  3. Owners who are not satisfied with the results of pre-roll consultations can still file a formal appeal when official assessment notices are received in January.

Preliminary consultations are typically less formal and more timely (and thus cost effective) than an appeal. This is especially so because at the “pre-roll” stage, assessors aren’t in the position of defending an assessment that has already been published. The best time to address an assessment issue is before the problem becomes one.

The link to proposed 2018 assessment data is as follows: https://www.pvsc.ca/en/home/findanassessment/searchbyaan.aspx. Preliminary 2018 assessments are publicly available; owners will need their Assessment Account Number and PIN Access Code (which can be found at the top-right hand corner of their 2017 Assessment Notice) to access the underlying valuation records.

Giselle Kakamousias is the Vice-President of Turner Drake’s Property Tax Division. Her experience negotiating and appealing property assessments is extensive (don’t be fooled by the photo – her calculator is older than some of her colleagues): it is a wise property owner who follows her advice. If you’d like more of it, she can be reached at (902) 429-1811 ext. 333 or .

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