Assessing Office
Phone : 734-699-8946 | Fax : 734-699-8952 Email : assessing@vanburen-mi.org
Office Hours: 7:00 AM – 5:00 PM (Monday – Thursday) Township Offices are Closed on Fridays.
All inquiries will be responded to by the end of the next business day.
Public Act 660 of 2018, Property Assessing Reform
Our Township Assessors plan, administer and provide overall supervision of property assessments, determination of true market value, and calculation of the assessed, capped, and taxable valuations of Township property. Click here for the 2024 Assessing Fee Schedule. Click here for the 2024 Residential Sales Study (April 1, 2021, to March 31, 2023).
2024 Property Tax Timeline
MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of the VBT Assessing Office is to annually provide the residents and property owners of Van Buren Township with fair and equitable property assessments in accordance with state laws, along with providing property information to the general public that is accurate and reliable.
The VBT Assessing Office must annually discover, list, and value all taxable property within the boundaries of Van Buren Township and prepare an Assessment Roll containing uniform values for each property based on 50% of its true cash value (market value).
When a property transfers ownership, the new owner must file a Property Transfer Affidavit with the local assessing office within 45 days of the transfer. This includes not only traditional arms-length sales but also transfers between family members and spouses, transfers into a trust, life estates, etc. If this affidavit is not filed, the new owner is subject to a penalty of $5 per day up to a maximum of $200 total for residential properties and a penalty of $20 per day and a maximum of $1,000 total for commercial properties.
You can file a Property Transfer Affidavit via mail, email, fax, or the township drop box located at the main entrance of the Township hall, or you can file it in person.
Assessing Department responsibilities:- Lot Splits and Combinations
- Personal property
- Property tax estimates
- Qualifications for filing of State exemptions
- Disabled Veterans Exemption
- Legal descriptions
- Assessor, MMAO – Jennifer Stamper
- Residential Appraiser, MAAO – Gina Dorazio
- Administrative Assistant, MAAO - Hannah Rodriguez
Disabled Veterans Exemption
Public Act 161 of 2013 provides an exemption for those U.S. Military veterans deemed to be 100% disabled as the result of military service This exemption must be submitted annually to the local unit. Eligibility requirements for this exemption include: the disabled veteran must have been honorably discharged from the armed forces of the United States. They must be a Michigan resident. They must also meet one of the following criteria: (a) has been determined by the United States Department of Veterans’ Affairs to be permanently and totally disabled as a result of military service and entitled to veterans’ benefits at the 100% rate; (b) has a certificate from the United States veterans’ administration, or its successors, certifying that he or she is receiving or has received pecuniary assistance due to disability for specially adapted housing; (c) has been rated by the United States Department of Veterans’ Affairs as individually unemployable.
The un-remarried surviving spouse of the disabled veteran is eligible for the exemption based upon the eligibility of their spouse; therefore the spouse must also be a Michigan resident. The exemption will continue only as long as the surviving spouse remains un-remarried.
POVERTY Exemption
MCL 211.7u of the General Property Tax Act provides a property tax exemption for the principal residence of persons who, by reason of poverty, are unable to contribute toward the public charges. The Application for MCL 211.7u Poverty Exemption must be filed with the Board of Review where the property is located.
board of revieW
No appointments for the March Board of Review can be made until after Assessment Change Notices have been mailed on February 22nd. Letter Appeals and Poverty Exemption Applications are due in the office by noon on Wednesday, March 13th. Walk-in appeals will not be accepted.
The July Board of Review will occur on Tuesday, July 16th. The December Board of Review will occur on Tuesday, December 10th.
Additional information on the appeals process can be found here.