Resident questions inquiry from assessor’s office

My take is that it’s none of their business how many people live in my home. They’ve also threatened to reclassify my property if we don’t respond. I’m wondering what they mean by reclassification. Can they try to reclassify our property as abandoned and take over the home? We live in a normal suburban area.

A: Our first thought is, why wouldn’t you just answer the questions and mail in the form? But the right to privacy in housing runs strong for many homeowners. It’s the “your home is your castle” mentality, except that in practice it’s tough to disengage from the surrounding community completely.

Let’s think about why the assessor’s office or other taxing authority may need or want information about your home or its occupants. Where property owners pay real estate taxes, the taxing bodies in those areas always use a formula to determine how much to bill each property. The key to your question is figuring out what that formula is and whether the information the assessor needs will help reduce your real estate taxes.

In many areas of the country, homeowners who live in those homes as their primary residence receive a huge discount on their real estate taxes. Let’s say your primary home is in Michigan and you pay state income taxes as well as property taxes. Some of the state income taxes you pay may filter down to your local municipalities and school districts.