First of all, NO other institution considers mobile homes Real Estate, NOT Insurance Companies, NOT Banks, etc...
The Title of the Public Opinion article was "Some Franklin County Mobile Homes are overtaxed". The title should have been "Most Franklin County Mobile Homes are overtaxed". Most are ACTUALLY Overtaxed based on the information reported in the article, plus information from the assessment office and the experience of many mobile home owners. Even though the assessment office knows that mobile homes depreciate each and every year they will continue to tax you at the higher assessed value, if you don't protest or appeal.
According to the assessment office not many taxpayers protest their assessed value, so the tax can be reduced. No one with a double-wide mobile home appealed in 2007 and only 50 out of the 7,000 single-wide mobile home owners in Franklin County bothered to call in to have their taxes lowered. Thats less than 1% of the total single-wide mobile home owners that called-in. At that rate of call-in's it will take OVER 100 years for everyone to call-in, that is unacceptable.
It's mostly that way because owners just don't know about the process, Martin said. It only get's around by word of mouth. Yet, the assessment office sends out a tax bill twice a year to each taxpayer, what better opportunity to notify the taxpayer. They apparently feel no need to notify anyone, I find this unbelieveable. Franklin County and/or Pennsylvania needs sweeping changes in the laws/policies on this overtaxation issue.
Martin said, that double-wides hold there value better outside mobile home parks, that is absolutely false. Two identical double-wides in the same condition, one on a rented lot and one on a lot of its own, both would have Exactly the same value. Of course the land would be valued separately.
