If you think you’re paying too much in property taxes each year, you can dispute it. However, predictably, the process is time consuming and complex. For example, an Illinoisan hoping to appeal their property taxes through traditional channels has to obtain and file several documents, consult with an assessor and present all their evidence to a board for review.
Chicago-based TaxProper was created to simplify the process. The company recently announced it closed on a $2 million seed round led by Khosla Ventures with participation from Global Founders Capital and Clocktower Technology Ventures.
The 2019 Y Combinator grad was co-founded by Geoff Segal, who previously worked as an actuarial statistician and research analyst at State Farm, and Thomas Dowling, a former municipal finance advisor to Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
With TaxProper, users simply input their address and the company takes care of the rest. With its “cutting edge” algorithm, TaxProper scans for comparable properties nearby that pay less in taxes, compiles a list of those properties that can be used as evidence to justify the user’s appeal, and handles all the necessary paperwork and deadlines. The company says users should receive a decision from their county in about six to eight weeks.
To be clear, TaxProper isn’t a law firm. Rather, it describes itself as a “technology company working to make property tax appeals easy and affordable for everyone.” The company is currently able to process appeals in Cook and DuPage counties, as well as several other counties throughout New York, California, Georgia, Florida, Hawaii, Missouri, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Utah and Washington.
TaxProper charges clients a flat $149 fee that is refunded in full if the appeal is not won, with users keeping 100 percent of the tax savings. The company told TechCrunch it has been able to save its customers an average of about $700.
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