UPDATE: New form attached to story for property owners requesting lower tax assessments

If you own a home or business damaged by Sandy, you can ask your town for a lower tax assessment.

In Point Pleasant Beach, the town issued a notice advising property owners that to request a reassessment, they should write to the town and include the following information:

"Property Address, Block/Lot, Name of Owner(s)
Contact Numbers - Cell and Land Lines
Address Where Currently Living - Permanent or Temporary
Email Address

Describe the damage in as much detail as possible. Include interior and exterior photos of damage, FEMA documentation, insurance adjuster reports and Itemized Contractor Estimates.

Drop at Town Hall or mail to:

Borough of Point Pleasant Beach
416 New Jersey Avenue
Point Pleasant Beach, NJ 08742
ATTN: Tax Assessor"

The tax assessor works in Point Beach part-time, so phone inquiries are best placed to Jennifer Coyne, tax clerk, (732) 892-0435.

Property owners whose properties have been damaged in storms or fires are likely entitled to lower assessments based on the following state statute:

"54:4-35.1 Material Depreciation of Structure between October 1 and January 1; determination of value

When any parcel of real property contains any building or other structure which has been destroyed, consumed by fire, demolished, or altered in such a way that its value has materially depreciated, either intentionally or by the action of storm, fire, cyclone, tornado, or earthquake, or other casualty, which depreciation of value occurred after October first of any given year and before January first of the following year, the assessor shall, UPON NOTICE THEREOF being given to him by the property owner prior to January tenth of said year, and after examination and inquiry, determine the value of such parcel of real property as of said January first, and assess the same according to such value."

Point Pleasant Beach has extended the grace period for fourth quarter property tax payments to Friday, Nov. 30.

Point Pleasant Borough property owners whose property was damaged by Sandy can call the Borough Tax Assessor's office at (732) 892-3447  to inquire about applying for a reassessment.