Experience Matters in Commercial Property Tax Appeals

Very few attorneys in Western Pennsylvania have as much commercial property tax assessment experience as Flaherty Fardo. Attorneys Noah Fardo and Nicole Hauptman are experienced commercial property tax appeal lawyers who have represented hundreds of  commercial property owners in tax appeals throughout Western Pennsylvania.  

Our broad range of commercial tax appeal experience includes, but is not limited to:

• downtown office buildings,
• strip malls, shopping malls,
• restaurants, car washes, car dealerships,
• apartment complexes,
• hotels /motels,
• industrial businesses,
• storage facilities, and
• manufacturing plants.

COVID-19 should Mean Thousands of Commercial Property Tax Appeals In Allegheny County in 2021.

The global pandemic and COVID-19 has had a major impact on commercial landlords due to unprecedented vacancies and a new outlook for employers to work from home. The impact in Western Pennsylvania is no different than across the country, whereby restaurants and businesses have been closed or restricted periodically for months. Accordingly, there has been a decrease in revenue directly affecting profit and loss statements of commercial property owners. As a result of diminishing profit and loss statements for 2020, we expect there to be thousands of commercial property tax appeals filed in Allegheny County, PA in 2021.

Commercial property taxes in Allegheny County impact both the commercial property owners and their occupying tenants. High commercial property taxes mean less return on investment and higher rental leases to businesses. Commercial property owners pay a substantial portion of the total property taxes paid in Allegheny County. Higher property taxes means higher rents charged to tenants. Higher rents equal greater charges to everyone.

We have had helped numerous commercial clients throughout Allegheny County including those in Pine, Hampton, Monroeville, Robinson, Greentree, Edgewood, Pleasant hills, Sharpsburg, Northside, and Downtown Pittsburgh.

The Best Advice for Commercial Tax Appeals: Be Prepared For Trial

The best way to win commercial property tax appeals in Allegheny County is to out-research and outwork the taxing entities. We have been successful in reducing commercial property taxes because we prepare every single property assessment case for trial. The best settlements are only obtained when the taxing entities know that we are prepared for trial and our preparation typically results in a settlement more favorable to the commercial property owner.

As a commercial property owner in Allegheny County, you cannot be afraid to litigate property assessment cases. We have access to excellent expert witnesses, and if you cannot obtain a fair settlement, then you need to be prepared to formally try your case at a hearing in front of the Allegheny County Board of Viewers.

Many commercial assessment appeals often come down to an opinion or battle of the experts. Therefore cross-examination of these experts can often win the entire assessment case. You need to make sure that if you hire legal counsel to reduce or defend your commercial assessment, that they have extensive experience cross-examining experts. We believe our litigation experience is an advantage to our commercial property tax appeal clients because of significant trial experience in cross-examining experts both in and out of the real estate arena.

Free Consultations

If you would like a free consultation concerning a tax appeal or other real estate issue, please call attorneys Noah Paul Fardo or Nicole Hauptman Amick directly at 412.802.6666 or email them at info@pghfirm.com.