California decline-in-value review

If your home value dropped, your property tax can too

California law entitles you to a lower tax bill when your home was worth less on January 1 than its assessed value. Checking is a free review service the state provides: no downside, no penalty, no risk to filing. Your taxes can only go down or stay the same.

Takes about a minute. Free, no obligation.
1

Tell us your address

We pull your parcel and assessed value straight from county records.

2

We build your case

Recent sales of homes like yours, screened against the county's evidence rules.

3

Sign once. We fax it for you.

Your signed form goes to the County Assessor by fax, with a delivery receipt.

You don't need to know how any of this works.

Counties run a free review process for exactly this situation. Almost nobody uses it because the rules are buried in a 25-page state publication. We handle the whole thing end to end: the evidence, the county's form, the filing, and the follow-up. Everything follows the California Board of Equalization's official Publication 30.

1 · Estimate Savings 2 · Confirm Details 3 · File
Is this legitimate?

Yes. California Revenue and Taxation Code section 51 requires the Assessor to temporarily lower your assessed value when it exceeds your home's market value on January 1. Every county runs a free review process for this. We prepare the county's own form with evidence that follows the state's published rules, and you sign it.

What does it cost?

Nothing. The county's review itself is a free service the state provides, and SavePropTax is free during our pilot.

Is there any downside or risk?

No. There is no fee, no penalty, and no risk in asking: the review can lower your assessed value or leave it unchanged. A decline-in-value review cannot raise your Prop 13 base value, and next year's assessment is set the same way whether or not you file.

What if the county says no?

Nothing changes: your taxes stay exactly as they are. You can also escalate to a formal appeal with the county's appeals board until November 30, and we will guide you through that too.

Is my information safe?

Your details are used once to prepare your form and are not sold or shared. Your signed form goes to the County Assessor and to you, nobody else.