Cook County property tax appeals — no money up front

The county's first step in setting your tax bill is to assign a value to your property — the 'assessed value.' If your bill went up, it usually means the county believes your property value went up. But the county doesn't always get it right. When you appeal, you challenge the county's valuation of your property.

No — but you also don't need a lawyer to file a divorce or defend a criminal case. The better question is whether you *should* have one. In our opinion, it's always smart to have a lawyer protect your rights. If you file on your own and lose, you usually can't get a do-over. And at Just Law we don't charge a penny up front — we only charge a percentage of what we save you. Call us today.

We charge a contingent fee: we don't charge a dime unless we win your appeal, and even then we only take a percentage of what we save you. No money up front — you only pay for results. The consultation is free.

Property taxes in Cook County are based on your property's assessment — the 'value' used for taxes. A tax rate is applied to your final Equalized Assessed Value (EAV), and the base of that is the value the county assigns your property. That value is the part you challenge when you appeal — not the tax amount itself.

There are two levels of appeal in Cook County: the Assessor and the Board of Review. Each has an open appeal period of about 30 days per year. You must appeal within your window or you lose the right at that level. Deadlines are set by Township — look yours up on the Cook County Assessor's website once you know your township.

Cook County is divided into Townships, which are different from your city, village, or neighborhood. Appeal deadlines are set by Township. You can find yours on your tax bill or by searching your address or PIN on the Cook County Assessor's website.

Probably not the most recent one — property taxes are paid a year in arrears, so this bill is based on last year's valuation. You'd have had to appeal last year to affect it. But if you don't appeal now, next year's bill will stay the same or go up. Don't delay.

Eventually your taxes are sold to a tax buyer, who pays your bill while heavy penalties, fees, and interest pile up. If you don't repay the tax buyer in time, a judge can issue them a tax deed and you lose the property — no matter how much it's worth. Even paying it off is costly, often doubling or tripling what you originally owed.

Yes, but you'd pay the unpaid taxes at closing — the amount simply comes out of your sale proceeds, so you don't have to front the money. Talk to a lawyer early to minimize penalties and fees and to get the paperwork ready in time.

Yes, but you generally can't appeal on your own — your association appeals for all units at once, because the county values the building as a whole. There are exceptions (for example, if your unit was damaged by fire or flood). Have your property manager or a board member call us; even HOA consultations are free.

No — that's a common myth. The assessed value the county assigns has no bearing on your actual market value, which is set by market conditions and your property's condition. If anything, *not* appealing can hurt you: no one wants to buy a home that overpays taxes.

Your assessed value is heavily influenced by similar properties around you. If your neighbors' values go up, they drag yours up too. So one of the best things you can do is get your neighbors to appeal as well — when their values come down, that's evidence yours should too. Have them call us; their consultations are free too.