Should I Protest If My Property Value Decreased or Remained the Same?

Here’s what you need to know about protesting your property taxes when your value decreased or remained the same as the prior year:

• County appraisal districts typically use mass appraisal methods, which can lead to incorrect property valuations and higher property tax bills.
• Even if the CAD says your property value did not change this year, there may be factors they overlooked that can bring your value down.
• Don’t let a decrease in value keep you from protesting, either; our team of experts explores every strategy to achieve the best possible reduction, not just any reduction.
• Protesting property taxes annually gives you the continued opportunity to lower your taxable baseline, compounding your exemption and homestead cap savings.
• When Tarrant County recently rolled over residential values, and many homeowners saw no change, Gill, Denson & Company still achieved significant reductions for many of our clients.

Do I Still Protest If My Property Value Is the Same As Last Year?

Most homeowners decide to protest their property taxes when they see an increase in their tax-assessed value. When your value remains the same as the prior year, you might think that means your tax bill will be the same, too, and there’s no need to protest. However, this is not always true.

There could be factors regarding your property that the county appraisal district (CAD) missed in their assessment. For example, if your property sustained damage from a natural disaster or if the market in your area went down. The county uses mass appraisal methods, which means they’re often not looking at an accurate picture of your specific property. Don’t let an unchanged property value trick you into thinking you have the best possible valuation.

Do I Still Protest If My Property Value Decreased This Year?

Protesting your property taxes when your property value has decreased may sound counterintuitive, but it can still be helpful. Many homeowners mistakenly think that they could actually cause their value to go up by protesting after the CAD identifies a decrease. However, your value cannot increase due to protesting, and you have the ability to withdraw your protest if you wish.

Even if your tax-assessed value has already decreased, there may still be opportunities to reduce your taxes further. Our team of tax experts uses multiple strategies to protest your property valuation, and our goal is to achieve the best possible reduction for you. It’s well worth looking into protesting to verify you’re receiving the maximum savings. Our fee is contingency-based, so you won’t pay anything unless we save you money.

FYI:

It is important to note that the CAD is not required to mail a Notice of Appraised Value if your property value remained the same or decreased. We recommend you always check online to verify the value each year. The deadline to protest is likely still May 15th, but check your notice (online or mailed) to be sure.

Should I Protest My Property Taxes Every Year?

Yes, you should definitely protest your property taxes every year. As illustrated in the examples above, whether your property value increased, decreased, or stayed the same, protesting is still beneficial. Incorrect CAD valuations aside, changes in the market and/or tax rates can cause your tax bill to go up quickly in just a few years. Here is a helpful chart illustrating how much you could save by protesting each year.

Protesting annually gives you the continued opportunity to establish a lower baseline for your taxable value. When combined with the benefits of a homestead exemption and the 10% cap, your annual savings can be significant. So, don’t let a year go by without exercising your rights as a homeowner to ensure a fair tax bill.

How Gill, Denson & Company Can Help: A Case Study

As property tax experts, Gill, Denson & Company has a history of successfully helping Texas homeowners protest their property taxes. More than 80% of our clients received a tax appraisal reduction in 2025. We want to highlight a recent case study we did on our clients in Tarrant County last year.

The county controversially rolled residential values over from 2024, meaning that some homeowners saw no change in their property’s value. While it could have been tempting to celebrate a zero increase and decide not to protest, the points we made above prove otherwise.

We were able to win our clients strong reductions because while the county kept values the same as 2024, the market had gone down. On average, our clients saw a 13.88% reduction in market value and $1,313 in property tax savings. Some clients even saw upwards of $10,000 in savings. Those who did not protest essentially incurred a tax increase.

Next time you ask yourself, “Should I protest my property taxes this year?” remember that it can’t hurt you. You will either see no change in the assessed value, or you’ll see a reduction that translates to savings on your property tax bill.

Ready to see what you could save on your next tax bill? Get started with the tax experts at Gill, Denson & Company today.