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Faline Ward, Assessor
Town of Guilford
223 Marble Rd., Guilford, NY 13780
email: [email protected]
phone: (607) 895-6827 fax: (607) 895-6042
Office Hours:
Wednesday 10 am - 1 pm
Other times by Appointment
Closed most Legal Holidays
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Help Lines for Property Owners:
Property Tax Freeze Credit questions
call (518) 453-8146
STAR Exemption Benefit questions
call (518) 457-2036
STAR or Property Tax Relief Credit:
(click on the links below)
1. Property Tax Credit Lookup
2. How to Report Property Tax Credits
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To look at the assessment roll, click on this link and you will be directed to the Chenango County website and be able to locate the year that you are looking for:
Assessment roll
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You can visit the State website New York State Department of Taxation and Finance for information regarding real property assessments at: http://www.tax.ny.gov/pit/property/default.htm
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Click here to find answers to some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).
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Question: If I'm receiving the STAR exemption, should I switch to receiving a check for the STAR credit?
Answer: Yes. Beginning in 2019, homeowners who have the STAR exemption may receive a greater benefit if they switch to the STAR credit. The value of the STAR credit savings may grow by as much as two percent from year to year, but the value of the STAR exemption savings cannot increase.
STAR Information: https://www.tax.ny.gov/star/
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Job of the Assessor:
The Assessor is a local government official who estimates the value of real property within city, town, or village boundaries. This value is converted into an assessment, which is one component in the computation of real property tax bills. The assessor is responsible for discovering, listing, and valuing all taxable real property according to the laws of the State of New York. Real property is defined as land and all things attached to the land. The assessor is responsible to the individual property owner to ensure that the value is proper so that the owner pays no more than his or her fair share of the property tax. The assessor is further responsible to all the people in ensuring that no property escapes the assessment process or is under/over assessed and that no property owner receives unauthorized preferential treatment. Assessors do not establish tax rates or decide how much tax is to be paid. Their task is to estimate as accurately as possible, the market value of your property.
Click here for information for Property Owners about Fair and Equitable Assessments (remote PDF file)
Information for Property Owners about Assessments versus Taxes: Handout - Assessments vs. Taxes: What's the Difference? (remote PDF file)
Below are links to the most commonly used assessment information.
Assessment Calendar
- Valuation date: July 1st (the date on which market value for properties is established using the past three years of sales)
- Taxable status date: March 1st (the buildings and acreage used to calculate your assessment for the coming year is determined by the the state of your property on March 1st)
- Exemption application deadline: March 1st (for STAR, Veteran's, Agricultural, etc...)
- Tentative Roll Publication: May 1st (assessments in this Roll are used as the basis for Complaints filed on Grievance Day) - Wednesday following the 4th Tuesday in May from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. - Grievance Day (file and/or settle your complaint with the assessor in advance of Grievance Day, or bring your completed form RP 524 directly to Grievance Day (may result in a minimum three-day delay and second meeting of the Board.)
- Final Assessment Roll Publication: July 1st (assessments in the Tentative Roll not changed during the grievance process, court, or correction of errors make up the Final Roll, and are one component used in the calculation of property tax for the coming year.
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FORMS
The Town of Guilford Change of Address form is available HERE.
A Request for Apportionment of Tax Bill is available HERE.
A Parcel Combination request form is available HERE.
If you are looking for a specific form, you can find it on the ORPTS Forms Page. All forms from this site are in "PDF" format and require the "Adobe Reader" to read them. Click on the Adobe image to the left if you need to install the "Adobe Reader" on your computer.
Some forms (those with the "Fill-In" button) can be completed on your computer and printed. Please note that you cannot save the completed form as a file on your computer - you can only print it out on your printer.
Assessor FAQ
What Else Does an Assessor Do?
The assessor performs many other administrative functions, such as inspecting new construction and major improvements to existing structures. This ensures that the record of each property's physical inventory is current and that the appropriate improvements are assessed.
The assessor reviews every transfer of real property within the town for accuracy, including the basic information on the buyer, seller, and sale price. Assessment records are updated, and any unusual conditions affecting the transfer are also verified. Results are recorded on form RP-5217 at the real estate closing. The assessor makes corrections to this form.
What Kind of Property is Assessed?
All real property is assessed. Real property is defined as land and any permanent structures attached to it. Some examples of real property are houses, gas stations, office buildings, vacant land, motels, shopping centers, salable natural resources (oil, gas, timber), farms, apartment buildings, factories, restaurants, and, in most instances, mobile homes.
How is Real Property Assessed?
Before assessing any parcel of property, the assessor estimates its market value. Market value is how much a property would sell for, in an open market, under normal conditions. Once the assessor estimates the market value of a property, its assessment is calculated. The level of assessment can be five percent, 20 percent, 50 percent, or any other fraction, up to 100 percent. Everyone pays his or her fair share of taxes as long as every property in a locality is assessed at the same percent of value.
What about Exemptions?
Follow the links at the bottom of this page to find exemption forms. The assessor will schedule appointments to visit the home of any taxpayer unable to travel to assist with the filing of exemption forms. Completed application forms are due in the Assessor's Office on or before March 1st.
Where Can I Go With Questions?
Assessors are interested only in fairly assessing property in their assessing unit. If your assessment is correct and your tax bill still seems too high, the assessor cannot change that. Complaints to the assessor must be about how property is assessed. Taxpayers unhappy with growing property tax bills should not only be concerned with assessments. They should also examine the scope of budgets and expenditures of the taxing jurisdictions (counties, cities, towns, villages, school districts, etc.) and address those issues in the appropriate and available public forums.
What is Grievance Day?
Informal meetings with assessors to resolve assessment questions about the next assessment roll can take place throughout the year. If, after speaking with your assessor, you still feel you are unfairly assessed, the booklet, "How to Contest Your Assessment" describes how to prepare and file a complaint with the Board of Assessment Review for an assessment reduction, and indicates the time of year it can be done.
- Town of Guilford Grievance hearings are held at the Town Hall, 223 Marble Rd. on the Friday following the fourth Tuesday in May 6 pm - 8 pm.
- Please be prepared to submit your proof of value along with your completed Grievance application. Remember, your best proof of value is recent sales of property similar to your own.
- Please call the Assessor's Office at (607) 895-6827 if you have any questions or concerns about this process.
- A link to exemptions can be found at http://www.tax.ny.gov/forms/orpts_cur_forms.htm
Note to Property Owners: Please ask Assessor's office for assistance with applications for exemptions if needed
- Application for Senior Citizen's Exemption
http://www.tax.ny.gov/pdf/current_forms/orpts/rp467_fill_in.pdf
- STAR (instructions on form) :
- Agricultural Assessment Forms: http://www.tax.ny.gov/forms/orpts/agri_assessment.htm
- Veteran's Exemptions: http://www.tax.ny.gov/pit/property/exemption/altvetoverview.htm
- How to Contest Your Assessment: http://www.tax.ny.gov/pit/property/contest/contestasmt.htm
- Cold War Veteran's Exemption Form: https://www.tax.ny.gov/pdf/current_forms/orpts/rp458b_fill_in.pdf