Frequently Asked Questions

Online Assessment

All assessment information including pictures, sketches, and physical attributes of properties is available online.

Tax Maps

Tax maps are also available online.

Please contact the Department of Assessment at (734) 467-3160 or assessor@cityofwestland.com. A staff member will be able to go over your assessment information with you and schedule a review of the property if necessary.

All mailing address changes must be done in writing.  Please complete the downloadable form completely and return to the Assessor’s Office in-person, or by mail.

All request for name changes (including removing a spouse and name changes due to marriage/divorce) must be submitted on a Property Transfer Affidavit.

If you continue to occupy the property as your primary residence, a new Principal Residence Exemption Affidavit needs to be completed as well.

Both forms, if applicable, need to be completed and returned to the Assessor’s Office by mail, or in-person.

PLEASE NOTE: Submitting a Property Transfer Affidavit will only update tax records and NOT the deed of the property. Any changes to the legal ownership (deed) must be recorded with the Wayne County Register of Deeds office.

The City of Westland does not maintain copies of surveys. Surveys are done through a private company and not maintained or recorded with the City. If you are aware of who may have surveyed your property previously, it is suggested you contact that surveyor to obtain a copy. If you require a new survey, the City is unable to recommend any particular surveyors.

Tax amounts and due dates can be obtained from the City Finance Department.

All ordinance violations may be reported to Neighborhood Services.

A Property Transfer Affidavit must be filed whenever real estate or some types of personal property are transferred (even if you are not recording a deed). It is used by the Assessor to ensure the property is assessed properly and receives the correct Taxable Value. It must be filed by the new owner with the Assessor for the City or Township where the property is located within 45 days of the transfer. If it is not filed timely, a penalty of $5.00 per day (maximum $200.00) applies. The information on this form is not confidential. 

Transfer of Ownership

Transfer of ownership means the conveyance of title or the beneficial use of the property. There are both partial and whole transfers of ownership. The Assessor’s office will determine the correct percentage and uncap the Taxable Value accordingly.

A Property Transfer Affidavit must be filed whenever property transfers ownership (even if you are not recording a deed). It is used by the Assessor to ensure the property is assessed properly and determine if the sale is a valid sale to use to help in determining upcoming assessments. It must be filed by the new owner with the Assessor for the City within 45 days of the transfer. If it is not timely filed, a penalty of $5/day up to $200 applies.

If the property will also be your primary residence a Principal Residence Exemption Affidavit should be filed.  

Both forms, once completed, can be returned to the Assessor’s Office by either:

• In-person - a date stamped copy will be given to you as your receipt of filing. 
• Mail - a date stamped copy will only be mailed back to you if you include a self-addressed, stamped envelope. 

Please do not email either form.

You must file a Request to Rescind Principal Residence Exemption to remove the exemption.  Once completely filed out it can be returned to the Assessor’s Office in-person or by mail.

You should also contact the Building Department to ensure compliance with all ordinances for rental properties. 

As with renting the property, you must file a Request to Rescind Principal Residence Exemption to remove the exemption.  Once completely filed out it can be returned to the Assessor’s Office in-person or by mail.

You should also contact the Building Department to ensure compliance with all ordinances for rental properties. 

The Michigan Supreme Court has ordered that information about the financing of property sales must be gathered. The purpose is to determine whether favorable financing provided by the seller may have caused the sale price to increase, i.e. mortgage amounts, interest rates, and any personal property received by the buyer, etc. If so, any increase in price due to the favorable seller-provided financing must be removed before the sale is considered for property assessment study purposes. Information disclosed on Real Property Statements is strictly confidential and will only be shared by the Assessor, State Tax Commission, County Equalization Department, and others involved in and for the determination of assessments.

Assessed value is defined by state law as 50% of the market value of the property as of December 31^st of the preceding year. Taxable value is derived from a formula created by the passage of “Proposal A” in 1994, designed to limit the taxable value increased annually to the rate of inflation.

Assessed Value

All assessed values are calculated according to the State Tax Commission standards. This value is shown as the State Equalized Value (or SEV) on your tax statement. SEVs are based on mass appraisal techniques which take into account the current cost to replicate your home and then depreciates that cost based on the age of the structure. That value is then adjusted to market value by utilizing sales within the particular area over a two year sales study. 

Each year the Assessor is required by law to review the sales in the previous two year sales study to conclude assessed values at 50% of market value. 

Taxable Value

The term Taxable Value was used in the 1994 constitutional amendment known as Proposal A to replace SEV in the property tax equation to calculate property tax bills. The first step in the process of determining Taxable Value is to calculate the Capped Value of every parcel of assessable property using the following formula:

CAPPED VALUE FORMULA:

Prior Taxable Value – Taxable Value of Losses X Lesser of 5% or CPI Multiplier + Taxable Value of Additions = Capped Value

CPI is the Consumer’s Price Index (Inflation rate) as calculated by the State of Michigan each fall. The legislature has defined Taxable Value to be the lesser of SEV or Capped Value. Assessors are required to annually calculate a Capped Value for each individual parcel of real property. The Capped Value is then compared to the SEV of that property, and the lower of the two will be its Taxable Value upon which taxes are levied. The year following an eligible transfer of ownership, the SEV of the transferred property set in that year is its Taxable Value.

No. Until 1994, property was valued for tax purposes at half its market value. This is called “State Equalized Value” or SEV. In 1994 voters passed Proposal A, which limited the growth of property tax assessments. The formula under Proposal A keeps the Taxable Value of a property from growing as fast as the SEV. This gap can increase over time. However, in the year following an eligible transfer of ownership, the Taxable Value is uncapped and is made equal to the SEV, but only for that year following the transfer of ownership. When a parcel is uncapped there could be a substantial increase in the tax depending on the difference between the Taxable Value and the State Equalized Value of the property. See “How is the Taxable Value calculated?” for more explanation.