February 10th, 2009 7:19 PM

This morning, a friend sent me a notice he received in the mail about his tax assessment. The company claimed he would save $1,388.62 if he sends them $179.00 to handle the assessment appeal.

Then today in the Sacramento Business Journal the following:

A Los Angeles company is mailing notices resembling tax bills to homeowners in Yolo and other Northern California counties offering property value review services for $179.

This service is already provided free of charge by the Yolo County Assessor’s Office and the Yolo County Assessment Appeals Board.

There is no requirement for taxpayers to use the property value review services provided by outside companies, Yolo County officials said Tuesday.

Homeowners who bought property before Jan. 1, 2003 — and think their home is worth less than the value on their tax bill — should call the Yolo County Assessor’s Office at 530-666-8135. They will need to give their name, address or parcel number and phone number.

The Assessor’s Office has reviewed 12,000 properties for 2008-2009 tax bills and reduced the value of about 9,000 of them free of charge, according to Yolo County Assessor Joel Butler.

“If your home’s property value was reduced last year, it will be reviewed again this year,” Butler said in a press release. “We are currently reviewing market data for Jan. 1, 2009 to determine the decline in value and the extent to which additional homes need review.”

The pay-to-assess letters are sent with the following return address: Property Tax Reassessment, P.O. Box 25519, Los Angeles, CA 90025.

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