CALIFORNIA BRIEFING / L.A. COUNTY
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Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley warned homeowners Tuesday about a scam that some private companies are running in which they charge fees of $179 or more to help homeowners file property tax reassessment forms.
The service is offered for free by the county assessor’s office. But many mail solicitations from for-profit businesses are formatted to look like government documents and do not clearly disclose that homeowners can easily file the forms on their own, Cooley said in a statement.
A homeowner can request an assessment review for a number of reasons, including a decline in value or property damage. The various reassessment forms, often only a page long, can be found on the assessor’s website and can be filed for free.
“To take advantage of unsuspecting homeowners in the midst of an economic crisis is not only shameful, it can be criminal,” Cooley said in a consumer alert posted Tuesday. “Several investigations are under way now into these types of scams.”
To file a complaint, homeowners may contact L.A. County’s real estate fraud and information program in the Department of Consumer Affairs at (800) 973-3370.
-- Raja Abdulrahim
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