2019 Real Estate Appeal Recommendation

Friends,

The 2019 preliminary real estate tax assessments have been posted by the St. Louis County Assessor’s Office. Many CCBA owners are experiencing a very significant increase in the valuation of their condominium. This of course represents a very significant increase in real estate taxes especially following voter approval of Proposition E (Clayton School Tax Levy).

Your CCBA Board of Directors has made inquiries regarding options for owners who do not agree with the assessment to appeal. Our understanding is that first the assessment may be appealed with the Board of Equalization and then if not satisfied the decision can be further appealed with the State Tax Commission. An outline for this process is available on line at: stlouisco.com/YourGovernment/BoardofEqualization/PropertyValueAppeals.

This process is complex and while technically designed for private citizens to pursue the appeal on their own, many seek the assistance of a qualified real estate assessment appeals firm. Your Board has interviewed several such firms and we have identified two that we believe know our buildings very well and have a good success record with the appeals process. Both have been recommended to us by our owner members. 

The Brennan Group has a sizable staff and is prepared to take on a large volume of appeals. In our interviews with them we have found that they have a great deal of experience with not only the local, BOE, level but also with the State Tax Commission. Because of our size and potential volume they have offered CCBA members a significant discount from their standard pricing policy.

Members can engage them individually but we recommend that each building identify owners who would like to utilize their services and then have one representative, perhaps the building manager, coordinate the process with them. The Brennan Group comes to us highly recommended. Please contact Mike or Colin Brennan at (314) 966-2800 or online at mbrennan@thebrennangroup.com or cbrennan@thebrennangroup.com. Please mention you are CCBA members.

Admiral Consulting LLC, likewise has much experience with the local BOE appeals process and has been recommended by several of our members. Admiral has also agreed to offer a very sizable discount from their standard pricing package. CCBA members interested in utilizing Admiral may contact Doug Collinger at (314) 863-5300 or via email at dac@admiral-consulting.com. Again, please mention you are CCBA members to ensure you receive the discount.

We know that many of our members have already signed contracts with service providers. We wanted to do some research before we made this recommendation. All appeals must be filed before the second Monday of July but we encourage you to begin now.

Finally, you should know the St. Louis County Assessor’s Office preliminary assessment will be finalized within the next couple of weeks. Please be sure your contract with the service provider stipulates your pricing is based on the final assessment as we believe many preliminary assessments may be reduced by the Assessor’s office when finalized.

Best personal regards,

Brian Kinman, CCBA President