Property Tax Protest Companies & How to Use Them to Reduce Your Tax Bill

Property taxes cost most real estate investors and homeowners thousands of dollars each year — per property. 

Owners can protest the assessed value of their property.

But the process isn’t always easy or transparent, and many municipalities only allow a narrow time window for protesting assessments. 

So, an entire industry has risen up to help property owners lower their tax bills by navigating the protest process for them. 

Considering hiring a property tax protest company to lower your own tax bill? Here’s what you need to know.

Understanding Property Tax Assessments

Unlike sales and income taxes, you can’t escape property taxes, no matter where you move in the US. Every state and jurisdiction imposes property taxes. 

That said, some jurisdictions charge far lower property tax rates than others. 

Local governments charge a percentage of your property’s assessed value each year as the property tax.

The lower your assessed value, the less you pay in annual property taxes. 

Government workers called assessors estimate the market value of your property.

They look at your property’s square footage, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, and comparable sales (comps) to come up with the assessment. 

But they don’t actually inspect the inside of your property.

They don’t know whether you’ve recently remodeled the entire home or if you still have avocado green and mustard yellow appliances from the ‘70s. 

In other words, they often get your assessed value wrong.

They can sometimes miss by $100,000 or more, leading to astronomically higher property tax bills. 

Which is precisely why homeowners and investors protest their assessed values — or pay a professional to do it for them. 

Top 15 Property Tax Protest Companies or Consultants

As you start Googling “property tax protest companies near me,” here are the top 15 property tax consulting companies we’ve found across the country. 

O’Connor Tax Reduction Experts

By volume of property tax protests filed, O’Connor Tax Reduction Experts is the largest property tax protest company in the US.

They claim to save property owners over $100 million in property taxes each year. 

O’Connor only charges you if they can actually reduce your property tax bill, taking the risk out of the equation.

They serve most US states for commercial properties, although only Texas, Illinois, and Georgia for residential property tax protests. 

Tax Recourse, LLC

Founder Michael J. Stevens has over 25 years of experience helping property owners lower their taxes. Based in Texas, Tax Recourse serves clients all across the country. 

In addition to protesting property tax bills, Tax Recourse can reduce business property and personal property assessed values as well.

Ownwell

Like many other property tax protest companies, Ownwell only charges if they actually lower your property tax bill.

They operate in Texas, Illinois, Florida, Georgia, California, Washington, and New York. 

Ownwell also helps you research and apply for property tax exemptions, to save you even more money. 

Kroll

Unlike many of the small, local tax protest firms on this list, Kroll is a multinational corporation.

They partner with local, boots-on-the-ground tax protest companies to service every state.

In addition to a wider reach than most companies, they also offer a range of other services including sales and use tax services, compliance and regulation, and many other business services. 

National Property Tax Group

The National Property Tax Group also serves all 50 states (and Canada).

However rather than partnering with local companies, they form an alliance of local tax protest companies. 

Consider it a directory of property tax servicers. 

Alpha Apex Group

While their name might sound like a predator at the top of the food chain, Alpha Apex Group offers property tax consulting along with a range of other business services.

Consider them for contract negotiation, executive recruiting, management consulting, and growth marketing.

Moss Adams

Another business conglomerate, Moss Adams helps businesses with commercial property tax protests.

They also provide services ranging from accounting to tax planning to tax credits to initial public offerings and more.

Ryan

Business behemoth Ryan claims to be the largest property tax practice in North America. 

Beyond helping clients lower their commercial property tax bills, they also provide tax consulting, compliance, advocacy, and corporate software solutions. 

Gill, Denson & Company

Serving the state of Texas, Gill, Denson & Company work as property tax advisors to lower your bill.

They boast an 83% success rate in reducing their clients’ property tax assessments. 

Charging between 25-35% of your tax savings, they service both residential and commercial property owners.

Real Estate Support Systems of Texas

Andrea Fahrenthold serves as the principal of Real Estate Support Systems of Texas, and has worked in the appraisal and property tax consulting industry for over 30 years. 

She’s based in Houston, Texas, and only serves Texas property owners.

North Texas Property Tax Services

Serving Dallas, Collin, Denton, and Tarrant counties, North Texas Property Tax Services lives up to its name.

They focus primarily on protesting residential property tax assessments. 

Bettencourt Tax Advisors, LLC

Also operating in Texas, Bettencourt Tax Advisors handle not just residential and commercial property tax protesting, but tax litigation, arbitration, and other tax services. 

Property Tax Guy of New York

“The Property Tax Guy” Brendan Conroy has been contesting property tax assessments for over 20 years.

He charges 50% of the first year’s savings in property taxes, and only earns a fee if he saves you money. 

Unfortunately, he only operates in New York. 

Tax Advisors Group

Though based in Texas, the Tax Advisors Group serves commercial clients nationwide to reduce their property tax bills. 

Tax DMA

Since 1972, DMA has helped commercial and industrial clients reduce their property tax bills.

They serve business clients in Canada in addition to the US. 

Final Thoughts

From single-family homes and rental properties all the way up through 200-unit apartment complexes and commercial properties, property tax bills take a huge bite out of your bottom line. 

Local municipalities don’t design their assessment processes to be easy to contest.

They design them for maximum tax revenue. 

Consider hiring a company to help you navigate the protest process and reduce your property tax bill for years to come.