Using Comparable Properties to Appeal Your Broward County Assessment
The most effective way to appeal your Broward County property taxes is by showing that similar homes in your area are assessed at lower values. These similar homes are called "comparable properties" or "comps" — and they're the foundation of nearly every successful appeal.
What Makes a Good Comp in Broward County?
A comparable property should be similar to yours in the ways the Property Appraiser uses for valuation:
- Size: Within 20-30% of your home's square footage
- Age: Built within 10-15 years of your home
- Location: Same neighborhood, ideally the same subdivision or census tract
- Features: Similar garage capacity, pool status, central heat/AC
Comps within the same neighborhood carry the most weight with Special Magistrates. With over 800,000 properties in Broward County, there's no shortage of potential comparables to choose from.
The $/sqft Metric
The single most important number in a property tax appeal is value per square foot. If your property's Just Value works out to $350/sqft but comparable homes in your neighborhood are valued at $300/sqft, that's strong evidence your assessment is too high.
To calculate: divide the total Just Value by the total living area square footage. For example, a home with a Just Value of $420,000 and 1,800 sqft = $233.33/sqft.
Just Value vs. Assessed Value — A Critical Distinction
In Florida, Just Value is the Property Appraiser's estimate of market value. Assessed value is the value used for tax calculations, which may be lower due to the Save Our Homes cap (3% or CPI, whichever is lower).
When building your equity case, always compare Just Values — not assessed values. Two identical homes can have wildly different assessed values simply because one owner has held the property longer and benefited from more years of the Save Our Homes cap. Just Values provide the apples-to-apples comparison you need.
Two Types of Evidence
Market Value (Just Value) — Recent Sales
Show that similar homes have recently sold for less than your Just Value. Use sale dates, addresses, and prices from the last 6-12 months. This is especially effective when the market has softened or your neighborhood has seen lower sale prices.
Equity — Comparable Assessments
Compare your Just Value per square foot to other similar properties assessed by the Property Appraiser. If your home is assessed significantly higher on a $/sqft basis than comparable properties, that's evidence of an inequitable assessment.
How Broward Tax Value Finds Your Comps
Broward Tax Value automatically analyzes your property against all residential properties in the Property Appraiser's data. Our algorithm scores each potential comp on square footage similarity, year built, neighborhood, and features. Higher-scoring comps carry more weight in the analysis.
Building a Winning Case
- Use 3-5 strong comps rather than many weak ones — quality over quantity
- Highlight the median $/sqft of your comps vs. your own $/sqft
- Always use Just Values for comparisons, never assessed values
- Include both equity and sales evidence when available — they reinforce each other
- Upload your evidence to the AXIA system well before the exchange deadline so the Property Appraiser can review it
- Broward Tax Value generates both types of evidence with a match-scored comp list ready for your appeal
Sources and evidence for Broward County
Prepared by Broward Tax Value. Filing resources checked September 4, 2026.
Start with the Broward County Property Appraiser property record and your current notice. Our property pages organize imported public assessment records and available comparable evidence. Check the tax year and data dates shown on each page: a prior-year record is useful history, but does not establish the value on a new notice.
Comparable homes are candidates for review. Verify their size, age, condition, location, and sale details before using them. Value per square foot helps screen candidates; it does not account for every difference. Estimated savings depend on the final assessment, exemptions, assessment limits, and applicable tax rates.
Your 2026 TRIM notice and VAB petition
For a valuation petition, use the filing deadline printed on your TRIM notice, generally 25 days after the notice is mailed. An informal review with the Property Appraiser does not extend the petition deadline. Check with the Broward County VAB for the current date, fees, hearing instructions, and evidence exchange.
Compare Just Value to market evidence. Assessed and taxable values also reflect assessment limits and exemptions, so a neighbor’s lower taxable value alone does not establish that your Just Value is wrong. Review the Florida Department of Revenue taxpayer guidance.
Exchange your evidence at least 15 days before the hearing. The Property Appraiser must also provide its evidence at least 15 days before the hearing under the rules effective September 1, 2025. Review the DOR evidence-exchange bulletin and your hearing notice.
The additional homestead exemption for qualifying non-school taxes is up to $26,411 for 2026, in addition to the first exemption of up to $25,000. See the DOR annual adjustment, 2026 Save Our Homes limit, and your notice for the amounts applied to each taxing authority.
Check the source before filing
Broward Tax Value is an independent research tool. Verify the current procedure with Broward County Property Appraiser, save a copy of your evidence, and retain your filing confirmation. The appraisal authority or review board decides the outcome.