When to object to the property tax assessment?

Frankfurt Anyone who has submitted their property tax return usually receives a post from the tax office after a few weeks. The notifications sent show how the property is valued. The exact amount of property tax to be paid from 2025 will not be announced by the municipalities until 2024.

Daniela Karbe-Gessler, tax expert at the Association of Taxpayers (BdSt), observes: “The software of the tax offices works. According to the feedback so far, the same results usually come out as the control programs previously calculated.”

Nevertheless, the notifications can be incorrect because incorrect data was recorded: a single-family house with a granny flat was perhaps not marked as a two-family house, a carport was entered as a garage or a terrace was counted as full living space. Many also stumble over the minimum remaining useful life, standard land values ​​that do not reflect the market value of their property, or net rents that landlords do not collect at all.

But those affected only have one month to appeal. The Handelsblatt explains when this makes sense and when it is better to use the delaying tactic.