Required disclosures
California has a statute written for this exact business: Business and Professions Code §17537.9, which governs an “assessment reduction filing service.” This page lays out every constraint it puts on us, and what we do about each one. Every quotation is the text as enacted, from leginfo.legislature.ca.gov.
1. §17537.9(b) — the disclosure we must show you
The heavy-ruled box at the top of this page, and at the top of the page where you sign, is required by law, word for word. The statute addresses advertising and promotional material, so we place the full-size box where an offer is actually made — the signing step — and here, where the disclosure itself is the subject. Every other page carries the same disclosure as a plain-language summary in its footer, with a link back to this page. The size of the full box is set by law too:
The statute's words “at least 2-point boldface font type sizes larger than the next largest print on the page” mean the disclosure has to be the biggest type on any page that carries it. That is why this page and the signing step have no oversized headline or giant hero line. It is not a style choice; it is what the statute produces. We turned it into a check that runs every time: our compliance self-check renders those pages and fails on any type size over the ceiling.
2. §17537.9(c) — when we are allowed to take money
What we do about it
- There is no payment page, no cart, no subscription and no deposit step anywhere on this site.
- Every filing is timestamped when it goes in, and until that timestamp exists no invoice can be produced at all — the software refuses, not just the policy.
- We advance the county's $46 filing fee. We never collect a government fee on the county's behalf.
3. §17537.9(e) — written authorization
What we do about it
- Your authorization has to exist before anything is filed. The flow gives you no way to skip it.
- A copy of the authorization goes in with every application.
- The signed original — with its timestamp, IP address, and browser fingerprint — is kept on disk for three years. It cannot be deleted during that period, by you or by us.
- Every document you have signed is downloadable from your own case page, any time.
4. §17537.9(a) — claims we may not make
| Subdivision | What it prohibits | What we do |
|---|---|---|
| (a)(1) | Representing that filing an application will guarantee a lower property tax | We never say that. What we commit to is “no tax savings, no fee” — a contingent fee, not a promised outcome. |
| (a)(3) | Claiming you will be represented in person at a hearing, unless the fee covers it | At this stage we do not claim to attend. We have no registration number yet, so you appear in person. |
| (a)(4) | Claiming the forms will be completed for you except for the signature, unless the fee covers it | It does. We fill the forms out to the point where only your signature is missing. |
| (a)(6) | Claiming to be a government agency or affiliated with one; misusing a government seal; a company name that contains both “appeal/tax” and “agency/assessor/board/…/county/city” | No seals, no government color palette, nothing that reads as “an official partner.” Our company name is checked automatically. |
| (a)(6)(D) | Envelopes we mail must carry “THIS IS NOT A GOVERNMENT DOCUMENT.” in capitals on the front | Everything we mail carries it. |
| (a)(7) | Pressuring you with “respond by this date or a late charge applies” | We invent no deadlines and charge no late fees. The only real deadline is the county's: November 30. |
5. What you can already do for free
- You can contact the Office of the Assessor directly and ask for an informal review at no cost.
- You can file an Application for Changed Assessment with the Assessment Appeals Board yourself (the county charges $46).
- You are under no obligation to use this service, or any service like it.
The California Attorney General keeps a standing consumer alert about this industry. We link to it on purpose: oag.ca.gov/consumers/general/prop_tax_scam. The tactics it names are official-sounding company names, mail dressed up as a government document, invented “Regional Processing Center” addresses, and threats of a late charge. We do none of them — and we would rather you hold that checklist up against every company that contacts you, including us.
6. California has no statewide property tax agent license
AB 2415 (2014) would have created a statewide registration requirement for property tax agents. The Governor vetoed it on September 29, 2014. So when a company claims to hold a “California property tax agent license,” that license does not exist. Los Angeles County Code 2.165 Tax Agent registration is the county's only bar, and it covers decline-in-value work with the Assessor, not just the appeals board.
7. This site is not legal or tax advice
We are not a law firm and not an accounting firm. What's on this site is our own reading of public statutes and official forms. It is not legal advice and it is not tax planning. If a trust, an estate, a title structure, or multi-year tax planning is involved, talk to your own attorney or CPA.
Every statute quoted here, with its source, is listed on the sources page. The output of our automated compliance check is at compliance self-check.