Nearly 3000 Homestead Exemptions Removed by Orleans Parish Assessor’s Office for 2023

| josephadogeri

Leads from Clerk of Court, Safety and Permits, Vital Records, Office of the Inspector General, Legislative Auditor, and Fraud Hotline contribute to count; Assessor Williams reminds citizens to report suspected cases of fraud by calling the Exemption Fraud Hotline at (504) 754-8929

The Orleans Parish Assessor’s Office cancelled 2,961 Homestead Exemptions for the 2023 tax year, announced Orleans Parish Assessor Erroll Williams.

Identifying and addressing cases of Homestead Exemption fraud has been an ongoing issue in Orleans Parish since the tax benefit was made permanent in 2013. While the majority of properties that had Homestead Exemptions removed were a result of change in ownership, a significant number are a result of investigations by Assessor’s Office staff and leads from the Clerk of Court, City of New Orleans Department of Safety and Permits Short-Term Rental Administration, Vital Records, the Legislative Auditor, the Office of the Inspector General, and citizen reports.

“We would like to thank the OIG, LLA and those individuals who have brought cases of potential Homestead Exemption fraud to our attention,” said Assessor Williams. “Over the past four years our efforts have resulted 3,754 revised real estate tax bills for residential properties, thanks to the tireless work of our committed staff working to investigate all allegations of fraud. The Homestead Exemption is a constitutional entitlement, so we have to be very careful and fully research each reported case. We can’t strip someone of a constitutional entitlement on a hunch.”

The total tally of exemptions cancelled for 2023 includes:

  • 433 leads from Vital Records where the property owner was found to be deceased
  • 236 leads from the OIG
  • 45 counts of HE fraud where the owner had an STR license and/or a Homestead Exemption in another state

 
“We’re especially proud of the work we’ve done cracking down on cases of Homestead Exemption fraud related to an individual’s short term rental license,” said Assessor Williams. “Our own anonymous tip line, in concert with the leads we receive regularly from Safety and Permits, has allowed us to keep a very watchful eye on these properties and move swiftly in instances of suspected fraud.”

If you know of a property in Orleans Parish currently receiving a tax reduction from an exemption which you believe it should not be receiving, we urge you to report the abuse by calling our Exemption Fraud Hotline at (504) 754-8929.

When you call, please leave us a message with the following information, if known:

  • The address of the property in question
  • Whether the property is occupied or vacant
  • Whether the property is a short-term rental
  • Name of person(s) occupying the property
  • The length of time since the owner has lived at the property
  • The address where you believe the owner may now be living

 
For more information visit https://nolaassessor.com/fraud-abuse/.