Tarrant homeowners stung by high values have lost option to protest online. Will it return?

Story by Jess Hardin,

Last month, Tarrant Appraisal District Chief Appraisal Jeff Law said, despite website issues, Tarrant County property owners will be able to protest their appraisal values online, but that doesn’t appear to be the case.© Madeleine Cook/Star-Telegram/TNS

Last month, Tarrant Appraisal District Chief Appraisal Jeff Law said, despite website issues, Tarrant County property owners would be able to protest their market values online — just like they’ve been able to in the past.

More than one week after notices were sent, property owners still do not have that option.

Typically, property owners are able to protest their values online in minutes and get an automatic result using TAD’s “Automated Market Review” tool.

There is no such option on TAD.org. The revamped website has been overwhelmed by traffic since last week, with pages locking up, failing to download or timing out. Users who click on the “Protest Value” button on their account are taken to a form to schedule a hearing.

A TAD spokesperson said Monday that the automated market review tool will be available within 10 days. The protest deadline is May 15.

Law said TAD will not extend the protest deadline at this time.

Since value notices were released last week, many Tarrant County property owners have been unable to access their accounts on TAD’s website.