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1. What characteristics about my property are maintained by the City?

Details regarding your lot or parcel size, building square footage, building age and height, number of rooms including bedrooms and bathrooms, garage capacity, foundation type, decks, porches, as well as a recent sales history. Link to the property assessment files where you may view your specific data by entering your last name or property address or parcel ID number on the search field.
AccessMyGov website.

2. What is an Assessment Change Notice and why is it important?

The Assessment Change Notice is mailed to all property owners during the first two weeks of February. This notice indicates the prior year and current year Assessed and Taxable Values as well as the status of your Principal Residence Exemption. Included with this notice are the meeting dates and times of the Tax Board of Review. Also, this notice should be saved, as the Taxable Value for the current year must be listed on your State Income Tax Return for the following year. Sample Assessment Change Notice (PDF).

3. What is the responsibility of the Board of Review and why do they meet at various times of the year?

The March Board of Review is convened during the first two weeks of March. The Board of Review is a small group of citizens appointed by City Council under State law to hear taxpayer appeals. If you feel that your Assessed Property Values are too high, based on your analysis of your property, you may file a protest with this Board. Meetings with the Board of Review are by appointment only. The meeting dates and times will be supplied with your Assessment Change Notice. The July and December Board of Reviews convene to correct factual errors on your Assessment Record or Principal Residence Exemption issues. You may come to the Assessing Department at any time and review your record to ensure that you are being assessed properly.

4. The Board of Review denied my assessment appeal. What can I do now?

If you challenge the Assessed Valuation on your property to the March Board of Review and are not satisfied with their decision, you may protest further to the Michigan Tax Tribunal (MTT). You do not need an attorney to do this. The residential Small Claims Division is set up to accommodate small taxpayers' disputes. The decision that the MTT makes on your property assessment is final and not appealable to a higher court. To protest your assessment, you must file a letter with the MTT no later than June 30th of the current year. Michigan Tax Tribunal (MTT) website.

5. When do I need to file a Property Transfer Affidavit?

You must file this form whenever there is a transfer of ownership of real property (home/lot) even if a deed is not recorded. A transfer of ownership could occur if a land contract is signed, the owner of a property passes away and they have a trust or joint tenancy established, etc. Please contact the Assessing Department if you have any questions regarding a transfer of ownership. A Property Transfer Affidavit is required to be filed within 45 days of the transfer of ownership, if not, the City of Madison Heights levies a fine of $5 per day to a maximum of $200 for residential properties or a $25 per day to a maximum of $1,000 for commercial/industrial properties for failure to file this form. If you close through a real estate agent or attorney this should be supplied to you. The Assessor's Office can supply you with this form if needed, or download the form from the Assessing Department page. Property Transfer Affidavit (PDF).

6. What is the Principal Residence Affidavit and what happened to the homestead exemption?

If you own and occupy your residential property as your principal residence, you are entitled to an exemption of some of the local school property taxes. You must file the Principal Residence Exemption Affidavit with the Assessing Department in order to apply for the exemption. You must be a Michigan resident, you must use the same address on your income tax returns, if you are registered to vote, you must use the same address, you may not claim any other similar exemptions on any other property either in the State of Michigan or in any other state.
This exemption used to be called the Homestead exemption but many confused it with the Homestead Property Tax Credit that is filed with your State of Michigan income tax return so the Michigan Legislature changed the name of the exemption to the Principal Residence Exemption. Principal Residence Exemption Information page.

7. I plan on moving out of my residence. Do I need to let the City know?

Yes. You must notify the City of any changes in mailing addresses for any properties that you own, this is our way of making sure you are notified of any issues that may arise after you move out. Also, if you are claiming the property as your Principal Residence, you must file a Request to Rescind Principal Residence Exemption within 90 days of no longer occupying the property or claiming another property as your principal residence.
If you plan on someone other than a deed holder to occupy the residence, even a family member, you must contact the Community Development Department for a landlord license application.

8. When are my property taxes due?

The summer bills are mailed out during the last week of June. They are due July 1st and you have until August 31st to pay without penalty. After August 31st, a 4% penalty is added to the bill and interest at the rate of 1/2% per month is charged after September 30th to a maximum of 6%. The winter bills are mailed out during the last week in November. They are due December 1st and you have until February 14th to pay them without penalty. After February 14th, a 3% penalty is added onto the bill. All tax bills that remain unpaid at the end of the day on February 28th are sent to the Oakland County Treasurer as delinquent. The County adds additional penalty at that time.

9. I pay my property taxes through my mortgage company. What happens when I pay off my mortgage?

Your lender may require you to pay your local property taxes monthly along with your mortgage payment. If so, the Treasurer's Department sends your tax bill directly to the mortgage company, bank or servicing agent who handles your mortgage. If you pay off your mortgage, your mortgage company must notify the City that it no longer wants the tax bill. Once we receive notice from them, we will delete the mortgage code from your bill and you will then receive your property tax bill from us directly at your home address. Please keep in mind that the tax bills are mailed at the end of June and November, if you do not receive your bills within 2 weeks, please contact the Treasurer's office, 248-583-0845, for a duplicate bill.
Please be aware that if a mortgage company requests your bill, we are required to send them your bill.

10. I'm a senior citizen on a fixed income. My neighbor told me that I may be able to defer my summer property tax payment. Is there such a program?

If you are 62 years of age or older and have an annual household income less than $40,000, you may defer paying your summer property taxes until February 14th. This will enable you to use your Michigan Property Tax Refund to help pay your total property tax bill. Forms for this deferral are available at the Treasurer's Department. This form must be filled out and returned to the Treasurer's Department, along with a copy of your income tax return and photo identification before September 15th. Summer Deferment Form (PDF).