What is a property tax appeal?

A property tax appeal (also called a protest in Texas, or a VAB petition in Florida) is a formal process where you challenge your county appraiser's assessed value of your home. You file with the county Appraisal Review Board (Texas) or Value Adjustment Board (Florida), present comparable-sales evidence that your home is overvalued, and the board issues a ruling.

When is the Florida property tax appeal deadline?

Florida property owners have 25 days from the date the TRIM (Truth in Millage) notice is mailed to file a VAB petition (Form DR-486). TRIM notices typically mail mid-August, putting the petition deadline in early-to-mid September. The deadline varies by county and is printed on the TRIM notice itself.

When is the Texas property tax appeal deadline?

In Texas, the deadline to file a property tax protest is May 15 each year (or 30 days after your appraisal notice is mailed, whichever is later). The 2026 deadline has passed; the next protest window is April-May 2027.

How much can I save by appealing my property taxes?

Homeowners who appeal save an average of $774 per year in Texas and several hundred to several thousand dollars per year in Florida (Save Our Homes locks in the savings for 10+ years). Success rates range from 80-91% when you bring 3-5 comparable sales as evidence.

What's the difference between AppealMyTax and Ownwell?

AppealMyTax charges a flat $99, one time, for a complete personalized appeal packet you file yourself, or $199-$249 for our done-for-you filing service. You keep 100% of your savings every year. Ownwell keeps a 25-35% contingency on whatever you save and O'Connor keeps about half, meaning a $2,461 reduction costs you roughly $615-$1,230 every year forever. We charge $99 once and keep nothing.

REI tax-savings data · 33803 · LAKELAND

33803 investment property tax appeal

2,410 properties in 33803 are over-assessed by 5%+ relative to peer comps — silently losing an average $909/yr each to inflated property tax.

Live zip data

33803 (LAKELAND) — over-assessment breakdown

Total homes

9,100

Over-assessed

26.5%

2,410 properties

Aggregate overpayment

$2.2M/yr

Avg savings per appeal

$909/yr

per over-assessed property

20-year NPV per property: ~$18k at simple 0% discount, or roughly $11k discounted at 5%. That's the typical present-value swing on a single successful appeal in 33803.

Sample 33803 properties (highest assessed)

Run any address to see its appeal upside

Address	Assessed	Sqft	Year
9603 FIVE FORKS ST	$333k	2,644	1973

These are top-assessed properties in 33803 per public records. Investors: each of these is a candidate for a tax-appeal evaluation before underwriting a purchase.

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Florida effective tax rate ≈ 0.86% · FL DR-486 VAB petition — file within 25 days of TRIM (typically mid-September)