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Homeowner
Resources
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Maryland
Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP)
The Weatherization Assistance Program helps eligible
low-income households lower their energy costs by increasing the
energy efficiency of their homes, while ensuring their health
and safety. Priority is given to homeowners who are elderly,
disabled and families with children and/or who have the highest
energy consumption. Examples: improvements to hot water systems,
lighting retrofits, insulation in the attic, floors and walls
and to clean and tune the furnace. Information:
http://www.dhcd.state.md.us/ARRA/WAP.aspx
Foreclosure Assistance:
Maryland has
created this website to guide you to resources that may be
available to assist both homeowners and renters facing
foreclosure. The site includes information to help you
understand the foreclosure process and the options that may be
available to you. You also can find information that will lead
you to a local housing counseling agency in your area that can
assist you on a more personalized level:
http://www.mdhope.org/
The
Permits and Code Enforcement Division of Baltimore
Housing has instituted aggressive new measures to ensure that
all required permits are obtained before any construction work
begins in Baltimore City. For the new rules and regulations,
permits, and searches, visit:
www.baltimorehousing.org/ps_permits.asp.
Homestead
Tax Credits:
There has been
much talk recently about the Homestead Tax Credit program.
Since I have been receiving a number of questions about the
program, I wanted to try to clear up any confusion.
1)
For the first time ever, homeowners must now actually
complete an application in order to qualify for the Homestead
Tax Credit. This change is a result of recent legislation
passed by the Maryland General Assembly in the 2007 session.
While I support the reasons behind this change, I fear that many
Baltimore residents may not realize that they must now take a
proactive step in order to continue to receive the Homestead Tax
Credit.
Failure to apply for the credit means that property taxes can
jump thousands of dollars for many long-time Baltimore
residents.
To learn more about the application process and the reasons
behind the change, please visit the Frequently Asked Questions
page at the State Department of Assessments and Taxation (DAT):
http://www.dat.state.md.us/sdatweb/Homestead_app.htm
You can also go directly here to download the form (or complete
it online, if you have your 8 digit security code from DAT):
https://sdathtc.resiusa.org/homestead/
2) The current Homestead Tax Credit cap in Baltimore City
remains at 4%. While the Blue Ribbon
Committee on Property Tax Reform has made a
recommendation to raise that cap to as much as 10%, the 4% cap
remains unchanged at present.
3) Appealing your assessment does not impact your Homestead
Tax Credit in any way. The two are completely unrelated and
you have every right to appeal your assessment.
You can read more about the assessment appeal process and file
an appeal online here:
http://sdatcert1.resiusa.org/SDATAPPEALS/
Please share this information with your neighbors!
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