County not allowed to use confidential income and expense data

The Riverside County Assessor’s office has been using confidential data on income and expenses obtained from other property owners to present as rent comparable data at public hearings. CRE Tax Appeal thoroughly researched the applicable legal issues, prepared a legal brief, and argued against an attorney for Riverside County. CRE Tax Appeal challenged the legality of the assessor using confidential information at public hearings during a legal hearing and won. The Assessment Appeals Board ruled that the assessor’s data is confidential, belonging to other property owners, and must be excluded from evidence according to the provisions of the Revenue and Taxation Code. This landmark decision marks the end of an unjust practice for the Riverside County Assessor’s office. The Assessor’s office had used this practice to present rent comparable data, which was obtained from other property owners, to justify their assessed values. The Assessor’s office may no longer use data obtained confidentially from other property owners at appeal hearings. In the future, all data used by the assessor must be from a public source so that the data can be cross-examined and independently verified.