Frequently Asked Questions

Property Tax Rebel^™ is a self-serve platform that generates a professional evidence package for your Harris County property tax protest. When you purchase, you receive a multi-section PDF that includes:

• An HCAD record summary for your property
• Adjusted comparable properties under both the Uniform and Equal and the Comparable Market Analysis methods
• Recent neighborhood sales used in the CMA
• A suggested protest value (the lower of the two method results)
• Case-specific objections selected from a catalogue of statutory and IAAO-backed arguments
• A pre-filled Texas Comptroller Form 50-132 (Notice of Protest)

You print it, walk into your hearing, and present it yourself. We handle the analysis; you handle the room.

Two options, both flat-fee and transparent. One-time purchase: $79, covers one property for one tax year, regenerate with fresh HCAD data any time through December 31 of your tax year. No future charges. Annual protection: $79 today and $49 each March 1 thereafter. Subscribers get unlimited regeneration anytime the subscription is active (not just during the season), and save $30 every year after the first vs. buying one-time each year. You can cancel the annual plan any time before the next renewal from your order page or by emailing us — cancellation is immediate and you keep access to every package you've paid for.

On March 1 of every year after your first purchase, we charge your card on file $49 and prepare a fresh evidence package for the upcoming Harris County protest season. You'll get an email with the new PDF download link. The March 1 date is deliberate — it sits about two and a half months before the May 15 protest deadline, leaving plenty of time for you to review the refreshed analysis and file.

If you move within Harris County, you can re-point your subscription at the new property and keep your locked-in $49/year price — use Move my subscription from your order page (the link is also in the Help menu). If you move out of county or sell the property, cancel from the same page; we won't bill you again. We'll never silently migrate your subscription to a new property — the move is always your decision.

14 days before each renewal we email you a heads-up with the upcoming charge amount, the property we have on file, and a one-click link to cancel if you don't want the new year. If nothing has changed, you don't need to do anything.

Click the Help menu (top-right of any page on propertytaxrebel.com) and choose Manage my order. Enter your order number (format PTR-XXXX-XXXX, shown on your receipt email and at the top of your order page) plus the email address you used at checkout.

Both fields must match — this is two-factor protection, so neither the order number alone nor the email alone will grant access. Once we verify the pair, you land directly on your order page, where you can download your evidence package, regenerate it, update your mailing address, manage billing, or cancel auto-renewal.

Of course, the Manage link in your receipt email still works exactly the same and requires no lookup — it's just a convenience to have an alternative from the website.

Use the Recover my download link option from the Help menu. Enter the email you used at checkout — we'll send every order linked to that address to your inbox, with the order number for each one and a one-click link to the order page.

This is also the right path if you're not sure which of multiple email addresses you used, or if you're not sure whether you ever purchased at all — the recover form gives the same neutral response in either case for privacy.

From your order-success page — the same link in your receipt email — scroll down to the "Need help with your order?" card and click Cancel subscription. You'll see exactly what you keep (your paid evidence package through the 3-year retention window) and what you lose (future auto-renewals), confirm, and you're done. Cancellation is immediate for future charges.

Prefer email? rebel@propertytaxrebel.com — we'll process within one business day.

There are no cancellation fees and no retention call. You won't be billed again. You keep access to every evidence package you've already paid for.

Auto-renewal subscribers can move their subscription to a new Harris County property without losing their locked-in $49/year price:

1. Open your order-success page (the link in your receipt email).
2. Scroll to the "Need help with your order?" card and click Move my subscription to a new property.
3. Search for your new home's address, pick the matching HCAD parcel from the suggestions, and confirm.

Your current year's package stays frozen for the old property — re-download it any time. Your $49/year renewal price is locked in. On next March 1, your renewal fires and generates a fresh evidence package for the new property automatically.

One-time customers: evidence packages are tied to one HCAD parcel and don't transfer. Start a fresh analysis for the new property at propertytaxrebel.com.

Need to change just your mailing address (not the property itself)? The move-subscription form has optional mailing fields you can update at the same time. If you only want to update the mailing address (and not the property), email us at rebel@propertytaxrebel.com.

Every self-service tool lives on your order-success page — the link we emailed you in your receipt, and the one Stripe redirected you to right after checkout. Bookmark it.

The "Need help with your order?" card near the bottom contains four options:

• Contact support — general questions, corrections, or anything else.
• Move my subscription to a new property (auto-renew subscribers only) — re-point your subscription at a different Harris County parcel without losing your $49/year price.
• Manage billing (auto-renew subscribers only) — update your card, view past invoices, or download billing receipts via Stripe's secure portal.
• Cancel subscription (active auto-renew subscribers only) — stop future renewals with immediate effect.

Lost your link? Use /recover to get it re-emailed.

Stripe automatically retries a failed charge over several days. We'll email you as soon as the first attempt fails with a one-click link to update your card. If the retries all fail, your subscription cancels automatically and we'll treat you the same as any returning customer — no penalty, no past-due balance. You keep every package you've already paid for, and if you still want the current year's protest you can purchase a fresh package manually.

Two Harris County homeowners who were longtime Jubally Solutions customers. We used Jubally's evidence packages ourselves for years to successfully protest our own assessments. When Jubally's founders retired after the 2025 protest season, we built Property Tax Rebel to carry the methodology forward rather than let it disappear.

We are not former HCAD employees, attorneys, or licensed appraisers. We are homeowners who understood the system, built tooling around it, and wanted to make it available to every Harris County homeowner.

Harris County, Texas only for the 2026 protest season. Fort Bend, Montgomery, and Travis counties are on the roadmap for future seasons. If your property is outside Harris County, check back next year or email us at rebel@propertytaxrebel.com to be notified when your county goes live.

No. Property Tax Rebel^™ is a private company with no affiliation with the Harris Central Appraisal District, the State of Texas, or any government body. We use HCAD's publicly published bulk data and CAMA factor tables to run our analysis. HCAD does not endorse us, and we do not speak on their behalf.

Yes. Enter your property address on the home page and we run the full analysis instantly at no cost. You will see your current HCAD assessed value, our suggested protest value, and your projected annual tax savings if your protest succeeds.

You pay only if you decide the evidence package is worth having. No account, no credit card, no signup.

The analysis runs two independent methods — Uniform and Equal and Comparable Market Analysis — and takes whichever result is lower as the suggested protest value. Form 50-221 lets you protest on both grounds simultaneously and adopt the lower result, which is exactly what the package sets you up to do. Details on each method are in the Evidence Package section below.

If our analysis finds no grounds for a reduction under either method, we will tell you upfront that the data does not support a protest this year. We do not manufacture urgency or push you toward a purchase when the data does not support it.

Save the analysis and check back in April when HCAD releases next year's preliminary values. If you believe there is a factual error in your HCAD record (incorrect square footage, wrong bedroom count, an improvement that does not exist), contact HCAD directly to correct the record — that kind of error is outside what our analysis covers.

Two legally recognized protest methods under the Texas Tax Code:

Uniform and Equal (U&E) under Texas Constitution Article 8, Section 1 and Tex. Tax Code § 41.43(b)(3): argues that your property is assessed at a higher value than comparable properties in your neighborhood when using the same HCAD CAMA adjustment factors. The statutory standard is the median appraised value of a reasonable number of comparable properties appropriately adjusted.

Comparable Market Analysis (CMA) under Tex. Tax Code § 41.43(a): argues that your property's market value, as supported by recent arm's-length sales of comparable homes, is lower than HCAD's assessed value.

The package runs both methods and uses whichever result favors you more.

The U&E analysis pulls comparable residential properties from HCAD's own records — same neighborhood group, similar grade, size, age, and CDU (Condition/Desirability/Utility) rating — and adjusts each one using HCAD's published CAMA Residential Model factor tables. Those are the same tables HCAD uses to value your property.

We apply Grade adjustments, Size adjustments, CDU adjustments, and Remodel Level adjustments to bring each comparable to the same baseline as your property. We then take the median of those adjusted assessed values. If the median is below your assessed value, you have a U&E case.

The argument to the ARB is straightforward: HCAD's own methodology, applied consistently, produces a lower value for your property than what HCAD actually assessed you at.

The CMA uses recent arm's-length sales of comparable homes — sourced from HAR (Houston Association of Realtors) MLS data and other recorded sales — and applies the same HCAD CAMA factor adjustments to bring each sold property to the same baseline as yours. We then compute the average of those adjusted sale prices and add back the land value and extra features (pool, outbuildings, etc.) that HCAD carries separately.

The result is a market-value estimate grounded in what buyers actually paid for comparable homes nearby. We also apply a seller contribution adjustment per IAAO Standard on Sales Verification § 7.2, removing any closing costs the seller paid on behalf of the buyer — those inflate the nominal sale price above the true arm's-length price.

Yes. Tex. Tax Code § 23.01(c)(1) explicitly permits the use of foreclosure sales when they are comparable at the time of sale. Our engine evaluates sales data and applies them where appropriate.

Because Texas law allows you to protest on both grounds simultaneously using Form 50-221, and to adopt whichever result produces the greater reduction. You do not have to pick one method in advance. The evidence package is built to support both arguments so the ARB can apply whichever standard benefits you most.

Yes — with the cutoff dictated by your plan:

• Auto-renewal subscribers can regenerate any time the subscription is active. HCAD updates preliminary values throughout the spring and summer as protests settle, and each renewal cycle generates a fresh package on March 1.
• One-time customers can regenerate through December 31 of their tax year. After December 31, the protest season has ended, so a fresh analysis would be for the next tax year — purchase a new package then. Your already-downloaded PDF remains yours forever.

Either way, the frozen PDF on file stays available to download through the 3-year retention window. Only the ability to re-run the analysis against current HCAD data is plan-gated.

May 15, 2026, or 30 days after HCAD mails your appraisal notice, whichever date is later. This deadline is set by Tex. Tax Code § 41.44. If you received your notice after April 15, your deadline may be later than May 15 — check the notice itself. Missing the deadline forfeits your right to protest for that tax year.

No. Texas law gives every property owner the right to represent themselves in a protest proceeding. A licensed Property Tax Consultant (regulated by TDLR) is required only if you are representing someone else's property.

Property Tax Rebel^™ is a DIY tool: you file Form 50-132 yourself, you attend your own hearing, and you present your own evidence. The package gives you everything you need to make that presentation confidently.

Bring printed copies — one for yourself and one for the appraiser at the informal hearing, or one for each ARB panel member at a formal hearing (typically three members). The package walks you through your argument step by step.

Present your suggested value, walk through the adjusted comparables, and reference the statutory citations included in the package. You do not need to memorize anything. The package is designed to be handed to the appraiser and speak for itself.

An informal hearing is a one-on-one meeting with an HCAD appraiser before the formal Appraisal Review Board hearing. Most reductions happen here. The appraiser reviews your evidence, and if the numbers support a reduction, they will typically offer a settlement. If you agree, the protest is closed.

If you do not agree, the case escalates to the ARB — a three-citizen panel that hears your full protest formally. The ARB has authority to reduce your value below what the informal appraiser offered. Property Tax Rebel's evidence package is designed to work at both stages.

You can request one postponement from HCAD. If you miss both the original and the rescheduled hearing without appearing, HCAD will dismiss the protest and your assessed value stays as-is for the tax year.

If attending in person is genuinely impossible, contact HCAD about submitting evidence by affidavit — some districts accept written submissions for smaller residential cases.

For certain types of protests, yes. HCAD has procedures for affidavit-based protests and remote hearings. Ask HCAD directly when you file Form 50-132 whether a remote or written submission is available for your case.

The evidence package we produce is formatted to work in any of these channels — it is a self-contained PDF with all supporting data.

iSettle is HCAD's online settlement tool that offers an automated value reduction in exchange for waiving your right to an informal hearing. The tradeoff is significant: you give up the opportunity to present your evidence to a human appraiser and negotiate.

iSettle resolves the protest before the informal hearing; once accepted, the protest is closed and cannot be escalated to the ARB. The informal hearing is where evidence tends to move the number, and the package is built for that setting. You keep the option to accept or decline an iSettle offer on your own judgment — the evidence package gives you a calculated protest value to compare it against.

Your property tax bill equals your taxable value multiplied by the combined tax rate for all the jurisdictions that tax your property (school district, city, county, MUD, etc.). Harris County homeowners with a homestead exemption typically see combined rates between 2.0% and 3.0%. Lower the assessed value by $10,000 and you save $200 to $300 per year at those rates.

The effect compounds: a lower base value this year becomes the starting point for next year's appraisal.

Three reasons. First, the savings accumulate over time — a recurring $250 annual reduction is $2,500 over ten years. Second, your assessed value this year is the floor from which HCAD starts next year. A lower floor means next year's increase starts from a lower number.

Third, the 10% homestead cap only limits increases from the prior year's appraised value. If HCAD appraises your home at $600,000 but the cap holds your taxable value at $500,000, that gap eventually closes as values rise each year. Protesting aggressively limits the appraisal HCAD can start from.

They can, and they often do. But the reduction you earn this year is real money back in your pocket now, and your lower value becomes next year's baseline. Even if HCAD raises you back by the maximum allowed under the homestead cap, you are still ahead of where you would have been without the protest.

There is no penalty for protesting, and a successful protest never hurts you the following year.

Yes. HCAD often argues that your purchase price is the best evidence of market value, especially in the first year of ownership. This is where the Uniform and Equal argument is most powerful: even if your market value equals the purchase price, your assessed value may still be higher than comparable properties in your neighborhood when adjusted by HCAD's own CAMA factors.

Tex. Tax Code § 41.43(b)(3) entitles you to the median of adjusted comparable values regardless of your purchase price. The U&E method in the evidence package addresses this directly.

No. A lower HCAD assessment makes your home more attractive to buyers, not less. Buyers care about future tax bills, and a lower assessed value means lower ongoing taxes. Nothing about a successful protest attaches to the deed or creates a disclosure obligation. Protest every year without hesitation.

• Texas Constitution, Article 8, Section 1 — requires taxation to be equal and uniform; the constitutional foundation of the Uniform & Equal remedy.
• Tex. Tax Code § 41.44 — sets the protest deadline (May 15 or 30 days after notice).
• Tex. Tax Code § 41.43(a) — authorizes market value protests (the CMA method).
• Tex. Tax Code § 41.43(b)(3) — authorizes Uniform and Equal protests based on the median appraised value of a reasonable number of comparable properties appropriately adjusted.
• Tex. Tax Code § 41.45 — authorizes the property owner to appear at the Appraisal Review Board hearing in person (the self-representation right).
• Tex. Tax Code § 42.26 — governs judicial review of ARB determinations in district court.
• Tex. Tax Code § 23.01(c)(1) — permits foreclosure sales as comparables when comparable at time of sale.
• Form 50-221 — Texas Comptroller form for protesting on multiple grounds simultaneously and adopting the lower result.
• IAAO Standard on Sales Verification § 7.2 — professional appraisal standard supporting seller contribution adjustments.

When a seller pays closing costs on behalf of the buyer as part of a deal, the nominal sale price is inflated above the true arm's-length price — the buyer effectively paid less than the recorded price. IAAO Standard on Sales Verification § 7.2 directs appraisers to adjust comparable sale prices downward by the amount of seller-paid closing costs before using them in a valuation analysis.

We apply this adjustment to any comparable sale where seller contributions are reported. The result is a cleaner, more defensible market value estimate.

HCAD applies monthly time adjustments to comparable sales to account for market appreciation between the sale date and the appraisal date (December 31 of the prior year). Their published rate is approximately 1% to 2% per month. This adjustment inflates the adjusted comparable sale prices — which raises HCAD's market value estimate.

The methodology is contested: professional appraisal standards typically rely on paired-sales analysis to derive time adjustments rather than applying a fixed rate. Our engine accounts for HCAD's time adjustments where applied and flags them in the evidence package so you can understand how they affect your analysis.