About Michael R. Franklin
A property owner tax advocate: a check and balance on the assessor and the Board of Assessment Review, working for an equitable distribution of the tax burden.
“I win because I know what I am doing.”
Who I am
My name is Michael R. Franklin. I am a licensed New York State Real Estate Broker. I have challenged property taxes for 14 years. I have advocated for taxpayers in 42 counties to date, all over Upstate New York, and I have handled cases in the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th Judicial Districts of New York.
I have participated in approximately 500 such cases, resolving assessments with the assessor, the Board of Assessment Review and in Small Claims Assessment Review. I have 25 years of real-world experience in what properties in Upstate New York list for, sell for, assess for and appraise for.
I am a former Small Claims Assessment Review Hearing Officer for the New York State Unified Court System, serving for 4 years in 6 counties. I am an expert in assessment valuation, and I handle both residential and commercial assessment challenges.
25 years
in Upstate New York real estate values
~500 cases
assessor, Board of Assessment Review and SCAR
42 counties
and six Judicial Districts: 3rd through 8th
4 years
as a SCAR Hearing Officer for the NYS Unified Court System, in 6 counties
The courts I work in
New York's trial courts are organized into 13 Judicial Districts. Appeals from them go to the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, which sits in four Departments. The Department your county is in decides which Appellate Division hears an appeal from your case, and whose decisions carry the most weight in your local courts.
I have handled cases in the 3rd through 8th Judicial Districts — the outlined counties below. Hover over or tap a county to see its district and Department.
Districts and Departments: NYS Unified Court System. County boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau.
What I know, and where I work
I am not an attorney. But I am knowledgeable in New York State's Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) and Real Property Tax Law (RPTL), because I deal with them every day.
The assessment review process — the grievance to the Board of Assessment Review (BAR) and Small Claims Assessment Review (SCAR) — is set by New York State law. I cover every county in New York State except New York City and Nassau County. Those two are the State's “special assessing units,” with their own review bodies and rules: the NYC Tax Commission and Nassau's Assessment Review Commission. See every county and municipality I cover.
I am also not an accountant. When I represent you in an assessment challenge I do not act as a real estate broker, and no agency relationship is created. That is set out in the written agreement before we start.
What I believe
I am not against property taxes. I am against some owners paying more than their share so that others can pay less. The law requires every property in a town to be assessed at the same percentage of its value; my work is making that true for your home.
I only take cases I am confident in, and I tell you about every error I find in your property record — including ones that would raise your assessment — so you decide what goes to the assessor.
Video
I explain assessments, FOIL requests and hearings on my YouTube channel, AssessorAudit.
Contact
Phone: 315-876-2262
Email: info@thepropertytaxguy.com
Mail: 1406 North State Street, Syracuse, NY 13208
The first telephone consultation is free.