Fairly assessed? Here's what that means

Some people who use our check are told they look fairly assessed. If that's you, here is what it means, and what it doesn't.

What it means

It means we don't think a review would be worth it for you. There are three possible reasons, and your result tells you which one applies.

1. Your value is in line with similar homes. We compared your assessed value per square foot with the median of a group of similar homes, and the gap is below our threshold. Similar homes means: same community, same structure type, built within 10 years of yours, living area within ±15%, lot size within ±25%, and at least 8 of them.

2. There's a gap, but it wouldn't pay. Sometimes your value is a little high, but the tax saving from correcting it would be small, often because the tax rate is low. After our fee, you'd be spending time for very little. We'd rather tell you that than take a fee for it.

3. A review could backfire. If a review could plausibly raise your assessment, we tell you and don't recommend filing. That happens when your home is assessed below similar homes. Good news for your tax bill, and a reason not to invite a second look.

What it doesn't mean

• It's not a legal ruling. Only an assessor or a board can change your assessment. "Fairly assessed" is our honest read of the numbers.
• It's not a judgement about your home. It's a comparison with similar properties.
• It's not permanent. In Alberta and BC, assessments change every year. A fair value this year says nothing about next year.
• It's not always complete. Public data can miss things. If you know about an error in the facts on file, such as floor area, basement, year built or garage, tell us, because that can change the answer.

Why we tell you, and publish how often we do

A check that always found a case wouldn't be a check. Saying "you look fairly assessed" when that's the truth is the most useful thing we can do for you, and it's why our "you likely have a case" is worth listening to.

Share of completed checks told "fairly assessed", computed live: published once enough checks are complete

A high share could also mean we set the bar too high. So we publish the threshold we use to decide "fairly assessed", and every change to it, next to the statistic. And each season we offer to file a small, random sample of borderline cases at our own cost, with the owner's consent, to test whether our "fairly assessed" calls were right.

What you can do next

• Keep your notice. Nothing to file.
• Ask for a person to look. Our recommendations are produced with automated tools. You can ask a person to review any recommendation, and we'll explain the main factors behind it.
• Get a reminder. If you ask us to, we'll remind you next January when new assessments come out. You can unsubscribe at any time.
• Share a check with a neighbour. When you share a check with a neighbour, you send the link yourself. We never email or text them, and the link shows public facts only.

That's all. No follow-up sales emails.

When a person should take a second look

Automated comparisons are good at the arithmetic and bad at knowing what the data leaves out. Ask for a person to review your result if any of these apply:

• your home has had a major renovation, addition or damage that may not be on file;
• part of your property is used differently, for example a suite or a home business;
• the comparable homes on your result don't look like your home to you;
• your notice shows details that differ from what we used.

A person will look at your notice, the comparables and the reason for the result, and tell you plainly whether anything changes. Sometimes it does. When it doesn't, you'll know why.