Property Tax Litigation
In addition to utilities and maintenance costs, property taxes rank among the most variable expenses faced by commercial property owners and tenants. They can also represent the most significant tax burdens imposed on businesses at the federal, state and local levels. At Reinhart, we know how much this impacts your bottom line, whether you're a property owner, business entity, nonprofit or Fortune 500 company.
Our Property Tax Litigation Team brings a uniquely qualified and strategic approach that helps clients navigate the complex landscape of property taxation and more effectively manage their property tax liabilities.
With extensive experience in negotiation and litigation across all forums, from local boards of review to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, we are well-equipped to advocate for your interests at every level. We strive to maintain good relations with assessors who set assessments in the more than 1,800 municipalities in Wisconsin. This, at times, allows us to negotiate reduced assessments without having to proceed to local boards of review. Our reach also extends beyond Wisconsin, having represented property owners in multiple jurisdictions to deliver favorable results.
Reinhart’s Property Tax Litigation Team is the largest property tax litigation practice in Wisconsin, having secured millions of dollars in property tax refunds and savings for clients. Aside from representing property owners, we have also successfully lowered property tax burdens for tenants with net leases, as well as helped property owners of multi-tenant office and retail properties lower occupancy costs for their tenants.
At Reinhart, we don't just understand property tax law – we partner with you to create strategic solutions that drive your success. Let us help you turn your property tax challenges into opportunities for growth and savings.
- Assessment Appeals: We vigorously challenge unfair property tax assessments, including special assessments, to ensure clients' financial wellness and avoid paying more than necessary. We focus on:
- Commercial Property such as distribution centers, warehouses, offices, hospitals and medical office buildings, shopping centers and retail, and multi-family apartments, including Section 42 Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program (LIHTC) and Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program.
- High-End Residential Property
- Exemption Requests: Our team skillfully files and, when necessary, prosecutes property tax exemption requests to secure the benefits to which clients are entitled.
- Exemption Defense: We robustly defend against challenges to your property tax exemptions, protecting your financial interests.
- Manufacturing Property: From planning to litigation, Reinhart’s Property Tax Litigation Team assists clients with all aspects of manufacturing property tax assessments, classifications and exemptions, including associated income/franchise tax benefits. We have experience with food processing plants, clean rooms, foundries, and various other manufacturing properties.
- Exemption Requests: Our team skillfully files and, when necessary, prosecutes property tax exemption requests to secure the benefits to which clients are entitled.
- Exemption Defense: We robustly defend against challenges to your property tax exemptions, protecting your financial interests.
- Manufacturing Property: From planning to litigation, Reinhart’s Property Tax Litigation Team assists clients with all aspects of manufacturing property tax assessments, classifications and exemptions, including associated income/franchise tax benefits. We have experience with food processing plants, clean rooms, foundries, and various other manufacturing properties.
- Specialty Properties: We represent owners of unique properties such as telecommunication facilities, data centers, utility assets, airline properties, resorts, golf courses and specialty manufacturing facilities.
- Transaction Management: Our attorneys skillfully manage property tax and real estate transfer fee liabilities in business transactions and real estate developments.
Noteworthy wins for clients include:
- A property tax exemption for a hospital outpatient center and a refund of more than $8 million to the taxpayer as a result of a case won at the Wisconsin Supreme Court;
- A property tax exemption for a specialty hospital, resulting in annual tax savings of more than $1 million as a result of successful negotiations;
- A significant reduction in the property tax assessment of a tax credit property, which was critical to the continued survival of a special-purpose entity formed solely to hold that property;
- A reduction in the property tax assessment of an apartment complex of $11 million;
- A reduction in the property tax assessment for a single condominium development of $23 million;
- A reduction in a property tax assessment during a Board of Review hearing of nearly $9 million;
- A property tax refund for a specialty hospital of approximately $8.4 million; and
- Obtaining two of the largest nonutility property tax refunds in the history of Wisconsin – both in excess of $2 million – on behalf of two different Fortune 500 companies.
Our members are leaders in the field, including a former chair of the Wisconsin Tax Appeals Commission who was charged with resolving disputes between the Wisconsin Department of Revenue and taxpayers involving income tax, sales and use tax, property tax and real estate transfer fees.
Your real estate can be an important asset or a liability that drains your resources. The key often lies in the strength of your legal support. For dedicated counsel with deep experience and fresh perspectives, connect with Reinhart’s Property Tax Litigation Team.