By Khalida Sarwari
Santa Clara County homeowners beware: a mailer offering to charge $89 for a copy of a property owner’s deed and assessment information is a scam, the county assessor’s office warned this week. In fact, assessment information is free and deeds set homeowners back only $6.
It appears the fabricated notices were mailed by a private company that identifies itself as “Local Property Office.” The senders are attempting to pass off the pamphlets as an official government notice, Assessor Larry Stone said in a press statement this week.
“Don’t be confused. Letters from the Assessor’s Office have the county seal and never demand payment,” Stone said.
The official annual notification letters that provide each property’s 2018-2019 assessed value were mailed on June 29 to 490,146 property owners, according to the assessor’s office. The notice serves as the basis for the property tax bill that’s usually mailed in the fall.
Anyone with questions about the assessed value on their notice is advised to use a free and interactive tool offered by the assessor’s office called “Opt-In Tool,” which allows property owners to review the sale of comparable properties the assessor uses to determine their assessment. The service also allows taxpayers to securely receive assessment notices and interact with the assessor’s office electronically.
To access the data, a property owner must have a username and password, or the PIN listed in the annual assessment notice.
Homeowners can find their assessment at no charge online at sccassessor.org while deed copies are available for $6 from the county recorder’s office.
Homeowners with questions about the bogus mailers are encouraged to contact the assessor’s public service desk at https://www.sccassessor.org/index.php/about-us/about-our-accessor/email-the-assessor-s-office, by email at assessor@asr.sccgov.org, or by phone at 408-299-5500.
Santa Clara County assessor’s office warns of scam against homeowners
