© 2024 Hawaiʻi Public Radio
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

What To Know About Oahu Real Property Assessments Coming To Mailboxes Soon

Casey Harlow/HPR

The city plans to send out real property assessment notices for the 2020-2021 tax year by Dec. 15.

The assessments are the first thing residents need to calculate their property tax bill for the next year. The second will come in June 2020 when the City Council sets the tax rate based on every $1,000 of a property's assessed value.

Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell said this week he will not ask for a property tax rate increase for 2020-2021, although the council could propose a hike of its own.

The 2020-2021 valuation for all Oahu real property rose by 1.7 percent from $275.38 billion to $280.07 billion, according to the city's real property assessment division. That's lower than the 6.8 percent increase the island saw the previous year.

For properties classified as residential, such as single-family homes, valuations increased by 1 percent to $217.82 billion. Hotel and resort properties increased by 4.1 percent, commercial by 3.4 percent and industrial by 6.9 percent.

Increases in assessed value can vary by neighborhood and other factors.

For the current fiscal year, the City Council approved increases in property taxes for hotels/resorts and residential condos and houses over $1 million not used as primary residences -- all to help cover a $12.8 billion operating budget.

Acting Mayor Roy Amemiya Jr., said at the time that the additional revenue will be used to remedy Honolulu’s unfunded healthcare and retirement liabilities, and to "prepare us for future rail operations and maintenance.” 

Property owners can file an appeal of their assessments by Jan. 15 in person, by mail or online. There is a $50 deposit for an appeal.

Those with questions can call the city's appeal hotline at 808-768-7000 from Dec. 16 to Jan. 15 during business hours or email bfsrpmailbox@honolulu.gov. More information is available on the real property assessment division's website.

Related Stories