Potomac — The combined efforts of the Montgomery County Office of Consumer Protection, the Better Business Bureau serving Greater Maryland, and U.S. Postal Inspection Service-Washington Division have stopped a company from continuing to mail deceptive letters soliciting Maryland homeowners to pay a fee to petition a review of their property taxes.
The mailings came from Maryland Property Review Board, a private company, but gave the impression it was from a state agency. The letters began reaching homeowners a month ago and advised recipients their property taxes were $1,346 higher than comparable homes and encouraged them to pay a filing fee of $99 to “reduce your Property Tax Bill.”
Maryland does not charge homeowners a fee to appeal property assessments. For more information about appealing property assessments, homeowners can go to the Maryland State Department of Assessment and Taxation at http://www.dat.state.md.us/sdatweb/appeal.html.
In addition to stopping the mailings, Maryland Property Review Board has agreed to pay full refunds within seven days of receipt to any individual who paid its proposed $99 “property assessment appeals fee.”
Homeowners can request a refund directly from Maryland Property Review Board or through one of the following:
Montgomery County Office of Consumer Protection
ATTN: MPRB Refund Request
100 Maryland Avenue, Suite 330,
Rockville, MD 20850-2322
U.S. Postal Inspection Service-Washington Division
ATTN: MPRB Refund Request
900 Brentwood Road, NE
Washington, DC 20066-7500
Better Business Bureau serving Greater Maryland
ATTN: MPRB Refund Request
502 S. Sharp Street, Suite 1200 Baltimore, MD 21201-2445