Brookline, NH - Board of Assessors Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Board of Assessors Frequently Asked Questions

What services do you provide?

The BOA is responsible for property valuations which are the basis for the distribution of the town's total tax burden. This involves maintenance of a database of property measurements, attributes and descriptions.

The BOA hears appeals from taxpayers who question their property valuation.

The BOA hears applications for property value exemptions and tax credits for the elderly, the disabled, military service, and service related disability.

The BOA is responsible for assessing certain miscellaneous taxes including timber tax, gravel tax, land use change tax

The BOA manages the activities of a technical consultant (currently Avitar Associates)

Who should residents contact with questions about your service?

Carole Tafe: BOA secretary 673-8855 ext. 216

Peter Cook: BOA chairman 673-0544

How is my home's value determined?

Property taxes are based on assessed values.

These values are estimated using algorithms driven by property descriptions - measurements, presence/absence of attributes, age, condition etc etc. A check of your property card will indicate whether these data are correct - i.e. "is it MY house you are assessing?"

The BOA would like to hear of any bad data - but guess what. If we have bad data that makes the assessed value too high, we hear about it. If there is bad data that makes the assessed value lower than it should be, we tend not to hear about it.

A few of the property descriptors can be somewhat subjective - e.g. condition, functionality (e.g. bedroom vs. finished storage space), etc., etc. Points of view can depend on whether you are buying or selling.

What should I do if my house is incorrectly assessed?

Taxpayers can:

make an appointment to discuss their issue with the board

have their property visited by the board and/or our consultant

submit an application for a tax abatement - with reasons and backup materials

This page was last modified on 9/10/2004

Comments & Suggestions:
webcommittee@brookline.nh.us

Web design by:
Cable/Web Committee

Links to external sites do not constitute endorsements by the Town of Brookline, New Hampshire.