Requires any contract or retainer agreement between a property owner and an attorney for legal services related to the filing and appearance before a board of assessment review regarding complaints in relation to assessments shall include a written disclosure that such complaints in relation to assessments can be completed without the assistance of an attorney; limits fees charged for representation before a board of assessment review.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
4650
2021-2022 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 4, 2021
___________
Introduced by M. of A. GRIFFIN -- read once and referred to the Commit-
tee on Real Property Taxation
AN ACT to amend the real property tax law, in relation to requiring
certain disclosures and charges by attorneys performing services in
connection with a real property tax grievance procedure
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The real property tax law is amended by adding a new
2 section 524-a to read as follows:
3 § 524-a. Contracts for complaints with respect to assessment. Any
4 contract or retainer agreement between a property owner and an attorney
5 for legal services, including filing and appearances, related to a small
6 claims assessment review shall include a clear and conspicuous written
7 disclosure in a large print format that such complaints in relation to
8 assessments can be completed without the assistance of an attorney.
9 Such disclosure shall state that information regarding the small claim
10 assessment review process, forms, and assistance can be found on the New
11 York courts website and shall contain that website and the website for
12 the appropriate municipality where the property is located; provided
13 that if such property is located in Nassau county the disclosure shall
14 provide the website for the Assessment Review Commission and in New York
15 city the disclosure shall provide the website for the New York City Tax
16 Commission. For the purposes of this section, large print format shall
17 mean a printed font size of sixteen or larger.
18 § 2. Section 524 of the real property tax law is amended by adding a
19 new subdivision 5 to read as follows:
20 5. No person or other entity authorized to represent a complainant
21 before a board of assessment review, the assessment review commission or
22 the New York city tax commission with regard to real property assessment
23 grievances shall charge any fee which is in excess of twenty-five
24 percent of any reduction determined by such board or commission.
25 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05210-01-1
