HomeOwner Exemption

Francisca
Both Buyer and Seller
La Palma, CA

Last year I purchased another home which is my permanent residence. The other house which I bought long time ago (already paid off), I let my brother to live there for free. FYI, the house is under my name since I own it.

I plan to remove the homeowner exemption from the first house since it is no longer the primary residence. If I do that, will my house value will get reassed to the current market value? I do not plan to change the title. Only remove the homeowner exemption. Thanks for any feedbacks.

Answers (1)
Steve Ornellas:...
Broker
Fremont, CA
FIRST ANSWER

Hi Francisca, your home value SHOULD NOT be reassessed to current market value.

Technically, you needed to notify the County when the first property was no longer your principal residence. According to this Q&A Orange County website: http://www.ocgov.com/assessor/faq.asp#HE

"If you do not own and occupy your home as your principal place of residence, you must cancel your Homeowner's Exemption. You can cancel the exemption by writing to our office, or using the termination form included with your property tax bill. Please let us know the date you moved, and provide your new mailing address."

Also, while not the same County, you will note that the Homeowners Exemption removal form of this other CA County indicates penalties may be levied via California Revenue and Taxation Code Section 531.6
http://co.alameda.ca.us/forms/assessor/Exemption_Ineligibili…
http://law.onecle.com/california/taxation/531.6.html

Given that the exemption only covers $7000 of value, and that penalties can accrue, you may want to remove the exemption sooner than later.

Best, Steve

Thu Oct 8 2009, 08:40

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