What the authorization you sign does, which county letters to forward, and the three moments you hear back from a property tax appeal service.
# Working With a Property Tax Appeal Service: What You Sign
Working with a property tax appeal service starts with an authorization you sign, which lets the county deal with the service as your agent. After that, your part is to forward anything the county mails you about the appeal, and you hear back when the appeal is filed, when there's a decision only you can make, and at the outcome.
You won't hear from the service every time the county does something, and you shouldn't need to. This guide is for people who have just signed up with a service or are about to, and it stays general until the last section, which covers AppealAlly.
You sign an authorization: written permission for the service to act for you in the appeal as your agent. Depending on where you live, it may be called an agent authorization or a letter of authorization. The agent it names can be a company, so the authorization can name the service itself rather than one person.
The county needs it because the appeal is yours. Agent authorization forms ask for the owner's written permission before an agent contacts the office reviewing the appeal on the owner's behalf. Some forms also ask where the county should send notices and other letters: to you, to the agent, or to both.
Signing it doesn't hand over the rest of owning the property. You're still the one who pays the property tax bill and reports changes to the property; an agent form doesn't shift those duties to the agent.
Exemptions are separate too. If you qualify for one, such as a homestead exemption, that application is yours to file with the local office that handles exemptions, and it's one of several other ways to lower your bill.
You hear from the service when it files the appeal. That's the first of the three moments you hear back, and if the service gives you an account or a status page, the filing should show there too.
The filing is the service's job, done under the authorization you signed. If you haven't heard anything and you're not sure the appeal went in, ask the service before you contact the county or file anything yourself, so you and your agent aren't working at cross purposes.
The county still writes to you because you're still the owner. In many places, once the county has a copy of your written authorization, it sends notices to both you and your agent, not to the agent instead of you. Hearing notices and decisions are often mailed to owners too, so letters about your appeal can keep arriving at your address after you've signed up.
Don't assume the service got the same letter on the same day. The county mails on its own schedule, and some letters set a hearing date or ask for a reply. Your service can act only on a letter it knows about, and forwarding your copy closes that gap.
Forward anything from the county that mentions your appeal, your property's value or a hearing. When in doubt, forward it. An extra letter takes your service a minute to read, and a missed one can mean a missed chance to respond.
To forward a letter, take a clear photo or scan of every page, front and back, including pages that look like boilerplate. Use the channel your service asks for, and if you own more than one property, say which one the letter is about.
The settlement offer row matters most. A settlement offer asks you to agree to a value, so let your service see it before you sign.
Usually, yes. Ask your service how it takes files, and send them as early as you can, while the county is still reviewing the appeal.
Good candidates are documents that show something the county's records wouldn't:
Put the property address on each file or in the message, so it lands in the right appeal.
Expect to hear back at three moments: when the appeal is filed, when there's a decision you need to make, and at the outcome. Between those, the county and your agent handle the back-and-forth, which is the part you hired the service for. The chart below lays out your side of it, from the signature to the result.
You hear back three times: when it's filed, when a decision needs you, and at the outcome. In between, forward the county's mail.
When it's filed. You hear that the appeal has gone in.
When there's a decision you need to make. This is the moment that needs you. The county may offer a lower value and ask whether you'll accept it, or a document may need your signature. Your service should explain the choice, and the decision is yours. If you want to weigh an offer in dollars, you can run the numbers on what a lower value is worth to you.
At the outcome. You hear the result once the county decides. If your appeal goes to a hearing, the decision may come at the end of the hearing or by mail afterward. Forward the hearing notice as soon as it arrives, and ask your service whether it needs anything from you.
The length of the wait is up to the county. In many places a decision takes several months, and it can take longer, depending on the county's workload and how complex the appeal is. A quiet stretch doesn't by itself mean anything is wrong. If the service gives you a status page or account, check it between messages, and ask the service about anything there that doesn't make sense.
No. You won't hear about each letter, call or review the county handles with your agent. The three moments above are the ones where your answer or your attention matters, and anything the county mails to you directly is yours to forward.
AppealAlly works in Georgia, where the general points above come with a few specifics. With our Full-Service Appeal, we file your appeal and handle the county for you, and we may take your appeal to the Board of Equalization if it gets that far. The Board of Equalization is a county panel of local property owners that hears appeals.
Georgia law says that when an owner authorizes an agent in writing and the county has a copy, the county sends its notices to both the owner and the agent (O.C.G.A. 48-5-311(o)). So once you authorize us, the county sends its notices to us as your agent as well as to you. Forward your copy anyway; it's the quickest way to be sure nothing slips.
Georgia has a statewide appeal form, the PT-311A, and the Department of Revenue lists it on its property forms page. If an agent signs the appeal form, a letter of authorization goes with it. That's the authorization you sign when you enroll, and it's why we ask for it before we file.
Your appeal status page shows where your appeal stands. To add documents, reply to any email from us with the files attached, or email support@appealally.com with the property address in the subject line. Full-Service customers can also upload files in the "Strengthen your appeal" section of their appeal status page until a decision is recorded.
For how the county's side of a Georgia appeal unfolds, stage by stage, see our Georgia appeal timeline.
This article is general information drawn from public sources: the Georgia Department of Revenue's Board of Equalization appeal manual, which reprints O.C.G.A. 48-5-311, the department's PT-311A appeal form and property forms page, and published state guidance on agent authorization forms and appeal decisions, all read September 29, 2026. The AppealAlly details describe how our Full-Service Appeal works. Any timing here is estimated, and county practice varies, so the rules that apply to you are the ones on your own notices and your county's assessor website. It isn't legal or tax advice.