DeductFlow + Ownwell

Your county decided what your rental is worth. You are allowed to disagree.

Property tax is one of the largest fixed costs on a short-term rental, and it is set by an assessment almost nobody checks. Ownwell works on behalf of property owners to help lower those bills. DeductFlow keeps the record of what you actually paid.

Check your assessment See how the pair works

No upfront cost, and you pay only if they save you money. Their fee is 25% or 35% of the saving, depending on the state.

$0
Up front. The fee applies to the reduction, not to your bill
88%
Of Ownwell customers receive a reduction, with $774 average annual savings
8
States, at county level. Check your address before you plan around it
100%
Of the property tax you pay on a rental is a deductible operating cost

Two different taxes, one property

This is the part most hosts have never had explained, and it is worth thirty seconds because the two get confused constantly.

Ownwell handles the appeal

Property tax

  • A local levy on the real estate itself, charged whether or not the property earns a dollar
  • Set by a county appraisal district against its opinion of what your property is worth
  • The assessed value can be challenged with evidence, comparable sales and condition factors, on a deadline that does not reopen
  • Local tax experts build the case and handle the whole process, so you do not gather comps or sit in a hearing
DeductFlow keeps the record

Income tax

  • Tax on what the rental business earns, reduced by the costs of running it
  • The property tax you pay is one of those costs, and one of the largest
  • Logged with its date and amount, next to cleaning, supplies, mileage and the rest
  • One audit-ready package for whoever prepares your return

The honest arithmetic, before somebody else does it

A successful appeal does slightly shrink a deduction. It is still clearly worth doing, and we would rather show you the whole sum than the flattering half of it.

LineEffect
Property tax saved by the appeal+$1,000Cash you keep
Deduction you no longer have−$1,000Smaller expense
Tax value of that lost deduction−$300At an assumed rate
Net, in your pocket+$700

Illustrative figures at an assumed combined marginal rate. Your numbers depend on your situation, and your CPA is the person to confirm them. The point is the direction: the saving and the deduction do not stack, and you still come out ahead.

Before you spend time on it

Two things worth knowing up front, because we would rather you found out here than after signing up.

Coverage is county by county

Ownwell is live in Texas, Georgia, Florida, California, New York, Illinois, Washington and Pennsylvania, and not in every county within them. Several of the busiest short-term rental markets sit outside that footprint entirely. Check your specific address on their site before you build a plan around it.

Half their product is not for you

Ownwell also files homestead and similar exemptions, which apply to a home you live in. A property you rent out is generally not eligible. If your short-term rental is purely an investment, the appeals half is the part that matters.

Questions we get most

What does Ownwell cost?
No upfront cost, and you pay only if they save you money. The fee is a share of the saving rather than of your bill, at 25% or 35% depending on the state the property is in. If the appeal does not reduce your assessment, there is no fee. Confirm the figure for your state on their site before you sign up.
Does appealing my property tax reduce my deductions?
Slightly, and it is still worth doing. The property tax you pay on a rental is a deductible operating expense, so a lower bill is a smaller deduction. You keep the full cash saving and give back only the tax value of the deduction, which leaves you ahead. See the arithmetic above, and confirm the specifics with your CPA.
Does Ownwell cover my county?
They are live in eight states: Texas, Georgia, Florida, California, New York, Illinois, Washington and Pennsylvania. Coverage is county level rather than statewide, and several busy short-term rental markets sit outside it. Their site checks your address in a few seconds, and that is the first thing to do.
Do I need DeductFlow to use Ownwell, or the other way around?
No. They are separate products from separate companies. Ownwell handles the appeal once a year. DeductFlow keeps the record of what you paid, alongside every other cost of running the property.
Is it an appeal, a protest, or a grievance?
It depends where the property is, and the wrong word is the most common mistake people make. Texas calls it a protest. New York calls it a grievance. Georgia, Florida, California, Illinois, Washington and Pennsylvania call it an appeal. Georgia also calls the paperwork a Notice of Assessment rather than an appraisal notice.
When should I do this?
When your assessment notice arrives, which depends on your county and usually falls between spring and late summer. The window to appeal is short and it does not reopen, so the notice is the moment to act rather than something to file away.

More on the cost of owning the property

What we have written about the fixed costs of a short-term rental.

Lower the bill. Then write it down.

Ownwell handles the appeal once a year. DeductFlow makes sure the number you actually paid is on the books when it counts.

Check your assessment See DeductFlow

Disclosure: Ownwell links on this page are partner links and DeductFlow earns a commission on sign-ups. Ownwell is a separate company. Nothing here is tax advice.