March 1, 2020 is the deadline to challenge your 2019 real estate taxes.
The process for obtaining a real estate tax refund – or “abatement” – can be mysterious. Thankfully, our affiliated company, Allobar Strategies, has a free downloadable primer to answer your questions.
The primer addresses issues such as “fair market value” versus “assessed value,” grounds for an abatement, … Read the rest
Last month, Paul Alfano attended the William and Mary Law School’s 16th annual Property Rights Conference in Williamsburg, VA.
Some of the top property professors in the country participated in panel discussions, including Stephen J. Early, winner of this year’s Brigham-Kanner Property Rights Prize, and prior winners of the prize, Professor James W. Ely, Jr., Professor Stewart … Read the rest
Several months ago, a few of us at Alfano Law Office noticed the frequency with which our office fights municipalities to protect property rights. Property rights are more than just things in your home or office. They include the right to use and develop land, the right to be paid full market value should the government take your property through … Read the rest
Homestead is a right to occupy one’s primary residence. Homestead also has a set value of $120,000, which comes into play when creditors circle the waters.
Each person has a homestead in the amount of $120,000; therefore, for married couples, each spouse has a $120,000 homestead.
The homestead right is exempt from attachment by creditors, except in the following cases:… Read the rest
Property is anything that is owned by a person or company. It can be bought, sold, traded, stolen, or destroyed. Property can be owned by a single person, or jointly between two or more people. Tangible items such as a car, books, clothes, DVDs, or that collection of weird looking clowns are considered personal property. Real estate or real property … Read the rest
Effective the tax year beginning April 1, 2019, the amount of interest taxpayers must pay on real estate tax not paid within thirty days after bills are made drops to 8% from the current rate of 12%. The interest rate on properties subject to a tax lien drop to 14% from 18%. This is good news for taxpayers, and long … Read the rest
Many people own a house jointly with their spouse – or partner, friend, or family – often as joint tenants with rights of survivorship (“JTROS”). This means the couple owns the house together equally, and if one of them dies the other retains full ownership automatically. The default in NH is to own property as “tenants in common” meaning each … Read the rest
If you tolerate a few members of the general public to cross your land for twenty years, you may have opened the door to the entire general public crossing your land. The legal theory is called a “public easement.” A desire to access lakes and public recreational land are ripe situations for the creation of these types of rights.
Prior … Read the rest
In the case of Polonsky v. Town of Bedford, decided on June 28, 2018, the N.H. Supreme Court considered the interpretation of amendments to the alternative lien procedures statutes found in RSA 80:88-91. These statutes were enacted in response to Thomas Tool v. Croydon, 145 N.H. 218 (2000), in which the Court held that it was unconstitutional … Read the rest
In the context of real estate tax assessments in New Hampshire, the answer is “No.”
We have seen tax assessors in some municipalities, such as Portsmouth, request income and expense information from at least some commercial landlords. Owners turn the information over, likely under the assumption they are required to do so. In fact, this information has been the subject … Read the rest
Everything you need to know about navigating public and private road laws in New Hampshire.