Checklist For New Property Owners In Fort Bend County

1. Make certain that a warranty deed is filed in the County Clerk’s office.
    
2. Make certain that the Central Appraisal District has recorded the ownership change.
    
3. You need to know all the taxing entities pertaining to your property and the exemptions each entity allows. You can receive this information and exemption forms from the Central Appraisal District. You will always have county and school taxes. You may also have City, Municipal Utility District, Levee Improvement District and Special Districts tax.
   
   
4. Check with the taxing entities to verify that your taxes have been paid for the year you purchased the property.
    
5. Compare the price you paid for the property to the Central Appraisal District's appraised value. If your purchase price is lower, you may want to render the value for the following year. If you purchased the property prior to the Central Appraisal District certifying tax roll, you may render the property for the current year.
    
6. If you are buying acreage or lots out of an unrecorded subdivision, check to see if there are rollback taxes due. Make sure you know who is responsible for payment of the rollback taxes.
    
7. Check the years that the title policy covers.
    
8. When you purchase a house, you will need to know how the taxes were prorated and who is responsible for that year's taxes, i.e. is the title company, seller, buyer, or the mortgage company responsible. The tax year is January 1 through December 31.
    
9. Statements are normally mailed to the homeowner in October or November for that year's taxes. If you have a mortgage company, they should request your statement. If you are responsible for the taxes and have not received all of your tax statements, call the taxing entities for duplicate statements. Penalty and interest accrue on February 1st and will continue to accrue until taxes are paid. According to Section 31.01 paragraph (g) of the State Property Tax Code, “failure to send or receive the tax bill required by this section does not affect the validity of the tax, penalty, or interest, the due date, the existence of a tax lien, or any procedure instituted to collect a tax.”
    
10. It is the property owner’s responsibility to look over the information on the statement to ensure that it is correct. If you discover that corrections need to be made to the name, address, values, exemptions, legal description, or jurisdictions, contact the Fort Bend Central Appraisal District.
    
    
11. For more information, please read the booklet entitled "Taxpayers Rights, Remedies and Responsibilities," available at the following offices: