Archives by: johnslynch

A. Local Level – Assessors 1. Filing of Abatement Application The abatement procedure is commenced at the local level by filing an application for abatement with the local board of assessors. In general, there are four categories of persons who may apply for an abatement: the assessed owner or subsequent owner who acquires title after January 1; the tenant under obligation to pay more than one-half the tax ... Read more

NEWTON, Mass – In a precedent setting case with national implications, the Massachusetts Appellate Tax Board released its findings of fact and report in the case of Lasell Village v. Board of Assessors of the City of Newton, denying Lasell Village’s claim that its facility, a premier retirement community that was developed by Lasell College, is exempt from local property taxes. Attorneys John M. Lynch and Stephen W. DeCourcey of the Boston law firm Lynch, DeSimone & Nylen, LLP, represented the Newton ... Read more

Plummeting office rents, increased vacancies and readily available sublease space at discounted rents have all combined to negatively impact the commercial real estate markets in the greater Boston area and across Massachusetts. Read more

In light of plummeting office rents, increased vacancies and readily available sublease space at discounted rents, property owners might expect that commercial real estate assessments in the city of Boston and in many other communities in eastern Massachusetts will decrease in fiscal year 2005. However, several factors may contribute to a different result, whereby commercial property owners will likely see level or slightly increased assessments from a year ago. Read more

After enduring yet another volatile year in the commercial real estate market, commercial property owners and managers awaited the arrival of their fiscal year 2004 tax bills last December, anticipating downward adjustments in assessed valuations to account for weakened market conditions. Read more

Lasell Village, an academic senior living facility in Newton, must pay its fair share of city taxes, the state Appellate Tax Board recently ruled. Lasell Village had contested its $400,000 annual property tax bill, saying that the almost $40 million facility was covered under a charitable exemption law. Read more