Just wanted to give an update on the Assessors office wanting to see my pellet stove... my original post was closed because of too many off topic posts, so I had to start this new one.
After looking up a neighbors assessment who has a pellet stove on the town website, I could see that they had added $5000 to his assessed value, which in turn raised his property taxes by approximately $15 x 5 = $75.00 per year I figured that this was probably going to be my fate as well.
I contacted the assessors office to avoid having them just adding the value that I had given to the building inspector automatically and then having to apply for a abatement. They said "we're just closing out last years building permits, so we'll just go ahead and add that on then." And I said "add what on... there's nothing to add on". I argued (politely of course) that I didn't see how it would affect the value of my assessment because I didn't make any structural modifications to my building. They kept pushing the fact that "I added a flue"... and I kept insisting I didn't, because my stove is a fireplace insert and I am using the existing chimney. I admitted I did run a stainless steel liner in the chimney as required by MA state law, but I don't consider that as adding a flue.
After a bit of back and forth on the flue issue (and I politely invited them up to have a visual inspection) they dropped the issue and said there would be no increase to my assessed value. Good for me... but how about my neighbor who is being assessed an extra $5000 for his pellet stove (which is a free standing model, vented into an existing 2nd flue in his basement). Knowing this, I continued the conversation with the assessor asking, "so if I had added a flue, what would be the increase to my assessed value... the value of the stainless steel chimney or the entire cost of the stove and the chimney". They said... oh no, only the chimney. So I am thinking to myself, why then did they add $5000 to my neighbors value because he didn't add a flue either. And even if he did, the cost of that would only be a few hundred dollars.
So being the good neighbor I am, I called my friend down the street and told him this story and suggested he file for an abatement and try and get the $5000 increase removed and also to ask for a rebate of the approx. $150 he's paid for the last 2 years. He was really surprised when I told them they had increased his assessed value by $5000 for the stove. He wasn't even aware of it.
I will also be keeping a close eye on my own assessment now to be sure that it doesn't magically appear on there in the future. Thanks to all for sharing your experience and advice on this topic!
After looking up a neighbors assessment who has a pellet stove on the town website, I could see that they had added $5000 to his assessed value, which in turn raised his property taxes by approximately $15 x 5 = $75.00 per year I figured that this was probably going to be my fate as well.
I contacted the assessors office to avoid having them just adding the value that I had given to the building inspector automatically and then having to apply for a abatement. They said "we're just closing out last years building permits, so we'll just go ahead and add that on then." And I said "add what on... there's nothing to add on". I argued (politely of course) that I didn't see how it would affect the value of my assessment because I didn't make any structural modifications to my building. They kept pushing the fact that "I added a flue"... and I kept insisting I didn't, because my stove is a fireplace insert and I am using the existing chimney. I admitted I did run a stainless steel liner in the chimney as required by MA state law, but I don't consider that as adding a flue.
After a bit of back and forth on the flue issue (and I politely invited them up to have a visual inspection) they dropped the issue and said there would be no increase to my assessed value. Good for me... but how about my neighbor who is being assessed an extra $5000 for his pellet stove (which is a free standing model, vented into an existing 2nd flue in his basement). Knowing this, I continued the conversation with the assessor asking, "so if I had added a flue, what would be the increase to my assessed value... the value of the stainless steel chimney or the entire cost of the stove and the chimney". They said... oh no, only the chimney. So I am thinking to myself, why then did they add $5000 to my neighbors value because he didn't add a flue either. And even if he did, the cost of that would only be a few hundred dollars.
So being the good neighbor I am, I called my friend down the street and told him this story and suggested he file for an abatement and try and get the $5000 increase removed and also to ask for a rebate of the approx. $150 he's paid for the last 2 years. He was really surprised when I told them they had increased his assessed value by $5000 for the stove. He wasn't even aware of it.
I will also be keeping a close eye on my own assessment now to be sure that it doesn't magically appear on there in the future. Thanks to all for sharing your experience and advice on this topic!
