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The benefits and burdens of marriage… |
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As of January 6, 2015, Florida began recognizing same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions and issuing marriage licenses for same-sex marriages to be performed in Florida. This is indeed a tremendous step forward for equality. This new legal status for married same-sex couples allows for ownership of real property by the married couple as Tenants By The Entireties. THE BENEFITS: TENANTS BY THE ENTIRETY (TBTE): This applies only to married couples. This TBTE status -- which is automatic when the Grantees of a deed are identified as a married couple -- gives each spouse overlapping 100% interests in their Homestead Property Tax Exemption, full exemption coverage (when one spouse receives the Homestead Exemption), and rights of survivorship (inheritance) for the surviving spouse. The creation of a tenancy by the entireties is not automatic as a result of marriage. A new deed changing the ownership type of a couple to a married couple must be recorded in Public Records. Be sure to consult with your attorney and get her/his assistance before making changes to the ownership of your property. THE BURDENS: Under Florida law, married couples are only permitted one Homestead Exemption/permanent residency based property tax exemption. Prior to January 6, 2015, same-sex couples married outside of Florida could maintain two permanent residency based property tax exemptions because their legal status was not recognized in Florida. Now, same-sex married couples (as any married couple) cannot claim more than one Florida Homestead Exemption and cannot claim a Florida Homestead Exemption if either person is claiming a permanent residency based property tax exemption anywhere in the world. Since recognition of same-sex marriages in Florida took place after January 1, 2015, beginning with the 2016 tax year same-sex married couples will be subject to a loss of their Florida Homestead Exemption, back assessment liens, penalties, and interest, if they are found to be claiming a Florida Homestead Exemption and another permanent residency based exemption anywhere else. Florida law requires a Homestead Exemption recipient/applicant to notify the Property Appraiser of any change in circumstance which affects her/his eligibility for exemption. To avoid any of these consequences, married couples should determine which Homestead Exemption/permanent residency based exemptions to surrender and which one to keep as soon as possible then notify the Property Appraiser’s Office of their decision. For more information about Homestead Exemptions, visit the "Homesteads & Other Exemptions" section of our website, call 954-357-6035, or email . |
THE PROPERTY APPRAISER DOES NOT SEND TAX BILLS. |
| The COUNTY TAX COLLECTOR (note: NOT part of our office) mailed the annual tax bills during the first week of November. Tax bills become delinquent if not paid in full before April 1 of the following year. Discounts are available for early payments. Also, you may make partial payments of your current year taxes until the March 30 statutory payment deadline. After that date, any taxes still owing become delinquent. If you have questions about your tax bill or about making tax payments, please visit the Tax Collector's website, or contact the Tax Collector by email at revenue@broward.org or by phone at 954.831.4000. The Property Appraiser does NOT set your tax rate nor collect the taxes. The Property Appraiser is responsible for ensuring the fair assessment (value) of all properties and applying all exemptions. Your County Commission, School Board, City Commission, Water District, and other boards set your tax rates. |
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YOU CAN FILE NOW FOR A 2015 HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION! You can file today for 2015 exemptions. This includes homestead, disability, widow/widower, granny flat, portability, deployed military and non-profit exemptions. If you miss the March 2, 2015, deadline to timely file to any exemptions, Florida law allows you to "late file" for 2015 exemptions until September 18, 2015. Note: Per Section 196.011(8), Florida Statutes, we cannot accept any exemption late applications once "late filing" deadline closes. To apply for a 2015 homestead, simply click here to use our online Homestead Application system. To apply for other exemptions, visit our Download Forms page to find the appropriate application. Questions? Please contact our Customer Service & Exemptions Division at 954.357.6830. Note: Due to a quirk in state law, pre-filing before January 1, 2015, is not permitted for the low-income senior exemption. |
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| Key Contact Info: Email Us, Call Us, Visit Us. Location: Our MAIN OFFICE is located the Broward Governmental Center at 115 South Andrews Avenue, Room 111, in downtown Fort Lauderdale (just south of Broward Boulevard). Note: Please also see our Outreach Calendar for events held monthly throughout Broward County. Hours: We are open weekdays from 7 am until 6 pm. Important Phone Numbers: Here is a quick phone list to guide you in the right direction...
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NEED HELP TO AVOID FORECLOSURE ON YOUR HOME? DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS FOR US? |
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE "YEAR BUILT" INFO ON THE PROPERTY PAGES? When you click on the link on a property record page to see the Year Built info, you will now see the responsive year answer displayed on a plain white "generic" screen. Why? Click here to learn more. |
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PORTABILITY OF HOMESTEADED SAVINGS. Florida's "Portability" law allows property owners to transfer their “Save Our Homes” benefit earned on a previous Florida homesteaded property to a new Florida homesteaded property. If you are applying for a new homestead exemption AND you held a homestead exemption on a previous property within the last 2 tax-years anywhere in Florida, you should also submit a Portability application with your Homestead application. Note: a Portability application transfers any tax savings you have earned, but it does NOT transfer your Homestead exemption from one property to another. You MUST first apply for a Homestead exemption in order to be eligible for Portability. Click here to begin the online Homestead application process and you will automatically be prompted to print and complete a Portability application if your application information indicates you held an eligible Homestead exemption on a previous Florida property. |
WE ARE REDUCING ASSESSMENTS FOR HOMES WITH CHINESE DRYWALL PROBLEMS. As has been extensively reported in the news, some homes constructed in Broward within the past few years contain contaminated Chinese drywall. This drywall -- over time -- emits sulfur odors and seemingly causes visible corrosion to copper pipes and air conditioner evaporator coils. However, until a homeowner contacts our office to notify us, we have no way of independently identifying which homes contain contaminated Chinese drywall. These drywall problems seriously impact the value of these homes. To ensure fair assessments for these damaged properties, Florida Statute Section 193.1552 instructs our office to reduce the building value portion to $0 "if the building cannot be used for its intended purpose without remediation or repair" -- subject to the owners providing us with sufficient documentation of the condition. Additionally, the law only applies if "the purchaser was unaware of the [contaminated] drywall at the time of purchase" -- so we examine the real estate listings to see if the condition was disclosed prior to the most recent sale. To request this reduction, please contact Deputy Appraiser Larry Singh or at 954.357.7216 to notify us if your home has documented Chinese drywall issues. Note: You do not need to resubmit this documentation to us for this year if you previously submitted it in a prior year. Click here to read more if you have contaminated drywall issues. |
BRINGING CUSTOMER SERVICE TO OUR CUSTOMERS. Did you know we hold a community outreach session every Wednesday at 11:30 am in Representative Gwen Clarke-Reed's office at Pompano Beach City Hall? Property Appraiser Lori Parrish is enhancing our office's community outreach efforts. We are constantly adding new customer service outreach events at condos, city halls, businesses, and other community locations throughout Broward to our online calendar of upcoming events. If you would like to have someone from our office meet with taxpayers at an upcoming meeting of your condo/homeowners or civic association, please contact Customer Service & Exemptions Manager Kelly Brown at 954.357.6035 or . |
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WE ARE VISITING NEIGHBORHOODS AROUND BROWARD! By state law, we must personally view each property in Broward County at least once every five years. That is why our residential appraisers are busy these days inspecting, measuring and photographing the exteriors of properties throughout Broward. Our appraisers are easy to recognize: all of them wear official shirts and bright orange vests clearly identifying them as BCPA staff, and each carries a BCPA photo identification card and badge. Feel free to ask to see an ID if you have any concerns. Important Note: Our appraisers will NEVER ask to enter your home, and we will NEVER enter locked backyards. If you have questions about these inspections, please contact our office at 954.357.6831. |
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If you have any suggestions for improving our office, . Sincerely, |
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Source:
Broward County Property Appraiser's Office - Contact our office at 954.357.6830.
Legal Disclaimer. Under Florida law, e-mail addresses are public records. If you do not want your e-mail address released in response to a public records request, do not send electronic mail to this entity. Instead, contact this office by phone or in writing. |