Support for LAist comes from
Audience-funded nonprofit news
Stay Connected
Audience-funded nonprofit news
Listen

Share This

Housing & Homelessness
Your game plan for what happens next. LAist will be there every step of the way.

LA firestorm survivors should update mailing addresses to get property tax refunds

A home that has burnt down with only a white facade remaining next to a home that still stands.
Damage to homes from the Eation Fire on Navarro Avenue in Altadena.
(
Noé Montes
/
LAist
)

With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today . 

Topline:

The Los Angeles County Assessor’s Office is asking homeowners affected by the wildfires to update their mailing addresses because important letters about relief are getting returned.

What’s happening? The office says “Notices of Assessed Value Change,” which temporarily lower taxable property values, and property tax refund checks are getting sent back because of invalid mail addresses. In most cases, the property they were mailed to was destroyed in the January fires.

What if I’m not expecting relief? You may still get help. Major calamities can make you eligible for property tax relief if your home gets damaged, which you typically have to apply for. However, the Assessor’s Office went ahead and reevaluated all properties in the disaster zones. That means you may get a property tax refund and/or a temporary reduction in value that you didn’t know about.

Support for LAist comes from

How do I update my address? You can do that by mailing in an address change form or by filling it out online through the Assessor’s Office website.

Go deeper:

At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.

But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.

We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.

Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.

Chip in now to fund your local journalism
A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right
(
LAist
)

Trending on LAist