The Los Angeles County Assessor’s Office is committed to providing assistance to property owners affected by a disaster such as an earthquake, landslide, or fire. If your property has been damaged or its market value has declined due to an event, you may qualify for property tax relief through one of the following programs:
Decline-in-Value Review (Form RP-87)
If the current market value of your property is less than its assessed value as of January 1, you may file an application for a Decline-in-Value Review. The filing period for the annual Decline-in-Value Review is from July 2 through November 30.
Important Note: If the final filing date falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, applications postmarked on the next business day will be accepted as timely filed.
Application for Reassessment: Property Damaged or Destroyed by Misfortune and Calamity
If your property has been damaged or destroyed by a calamity, such as an earthquake, landslide, or fire, and the loss exceeds $10,000 in current market value, you may qualify for reassessment. To be eligible, property owners must file Form ADS-820 with our office within 12 months from the date the damage or when destruction occurred.
Key details to the M&C tax relief program:
- To qualify, the damage must exceed $10,000, and a claim form must be filed with our office within 12 months of the damage.
- Once filed, we will investigate and verify the claim, determine the cost to cure, and reduce the assessed value effective the date the damage occurred. This reduction remains in place until the property is repaired, rebuilt, or undergoes a change in ownership.
The filing of this claim also facilitates coordination with the Treasurer and Tax Collector, allowing taxpayers who pay property taxes directly, not through an impound account with a mortgage lender, to defer their current year property taxes without incurring penalties.
We are working closely with our County partners to identify impacted properties and will assist homeowners and businesses through every step of this process. For all claims, we aim to process them as soon as possible.
Once the tax roll is updated, the Auditor-Controller will recalculate the taxes. If you are due a refund, it will be issued, or if taxes remain owed, an adjusted bill with new due dates will be sent.
Jeff Prang’s office can be reached at assessor.lacounty.gov or call us at (213) 974-3211.
The direct link to our disaster page is: https://assessor.lacounty.gov/disaster
Links
DISASTER RELIEF: https://assessor.lacounty.gov/tax-relief/disaster-relief
Fact Sheet – Relief For Properties Impacted By A Disaster
