2009 HONOLULU PROPERTY ASSESSMENTS COMPLETED 

More than 283,000 Oahu property owners will receive their 2009 real property assessment notices this week including about 5,000 assessment notices that will be sent by email under a new City on-line program.

Excluding new inventory and construction, the Residential classification showed an overall decline in valuation of 3.3 percent.  The residential classification includes single-family homes, condominiums and apartments.

NATURAL DISASTER - PROPERTY TAX RELIEF

Due to the recent heavy rain and severe flash flooding, Mayor Mufi Hannemann has issued a declaration of emergency for the City and County of Honolulu, beginning Wednesday, December 10, 2008, and continuing through Tuesday, December 16, 2008.

Owners whose properties were damaged by the recent flooding are eligible to apply for a remission of their property taxes relative to the percentage of the real property damage sustained by the property.

For more information, call 768-3799.  The application form is also available on-line at https://www.realpropertyhonolulu.com.

TOTAL ASSESSED VALUATION INCREASED SLIGHTLY

The total gross assessed valuation for all real property on Oahu increased slightly from $190.7 billion to $191.1 billion or 0.2 percent.  The addition of new inventory and construction and improvements to existing properties helped to offset the decrease in residential property values.  Hotel and Resort property values decreased by 0.1 percent. Commercial and Industrial properties rose in value by 4.3 percent and 9.3 percent, respectively.  Percentage changes represent broad totals and the actual change in the assessed value of a particular property could be more or less than the island wide figures.

            The assessment notice is not a tax bill, but a notification of what the City has determined to be a property’s value.  The assessment notice also includes information on exemptions for which the owner has qualified.  The standard homeowner exemption is $80,000 and increases to $120,000 for homeowners age 65 and older.  The exemption amount is deducted from a property’s value which reduces the tax for the property.  The tax bills will be mailed next year on July 20, 2009 with the first-half installment due on August 20, 2009 and the second-half installment due on February 20, 2010.

Property owners who have not received their 2009 Assessment Notice by December 31, 2008, are advised to contact the Real Property Assessment Division at:

33 South King Street, #101       or       1000 Uluohia Street, #206

Honolulu, Hawaii 96813                     Kapolei, Hawaii 96707         

Phone:  768-3799                                Phone: 768-3169

 The deadline for filing an appeal is January 15, 2009.

NEW ON-LINE SERVICES 

The City and County of Honolulu is pleased to announce the launch of its latest innovative on-line services:  In addition to being able to register on-line to receive their real property assessment notices via email, beginning December 15, 2008, eligible homeowners will be able to file their home exemption claim on-line for the 2010-2011 tax year and beyond; property owners will also be able to file an appeal on-line to the Board of Review for the 2009-2010 tax year, beginning December 15, 2008 to January 15, 2009.  Real property information regarding the new assessed values and exemptions, as well as tax billing information, is available at https://www.realpropertyhonolulu.com, and you can email the Real Property Assessment Division with questions concerning your assessment notice at bfsrpmailbox@honolulu.gov.

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Media Contact: Gary Kurokawa at 768-7901