UPDATED march 2020
Devaluation of Real Estate Due to the Covid-19 Virus
As of March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a serious disruption in many businesses. Some businesses have shut their doors, and some will never reopen. It is unknown how long the crisis will continue. This leaves property owners in a poor position to pay mortgages, employees, and other bills. In Massachusetts the assessing date is January 1. The next tax bill issued will be for Fiscal Year 2021. That tax bill has an assessing date of January 1, 2020. A problem for property owners is that on January 1, 2020 in general the economy was doing well. Notwithstanding the disconnect between the assessing date and the timing of the COVID-19 pandemic it would be prudent for property owners to file for an abatement for Fiscal Year 2021. Many assessors will want to deal with this obviously serious problem sooner rather than later.
David G. Saliba
Saliba & Saliba
American Property Tax Counsel (APTC)
