Contra Costa County Assessor warns property owners of mail scam

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA (Aug. 1, 2023) — Many property owners throughout Contra Costa County are receiving an official looking document in the mail regarding a fee-based service to have their property’s taxable value reduced. These mailers have the appearance of an official government document. However, the correspondence is not from the Contra Costa County Assessor. Nor does it come from or any other Contra Costa County Office.

The California Attorney General’s Office has posted warnings to California property owners on their website about the practices of these companies. For more information, visit the Attorney General’s Consumer Alert here.

Current scam mailers are requiring both a $40 county filing fee with the Clerk of the Assessment Appeals Board for a formal appeal, and a contingent fee of 30% of any tax savings as a result of filing the application.

Property owners should know that the Contra Costa County Assessor’s Office does not charge a fee to complete an informal value review.

Property owners who believe the current market value of their property is less than the assessed value, can file a FREE “Request for Value Review (Prop 8)” form with the Contra Costa County Assessor’s Office. Please visit our webpage at http://www.cccounty.us/assessor and select “Review Your Value” to find a downloadable application.