Inspections of commercial real property will also be conducted along the H Street, NE corridor.

The Office of Tax and Revenue (OTR) announced today that its assessors will begin to conduct residential real property inspections in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood, as well as commercial inspections along the H Street, NE corridor beginning August 6. This is part of a periodic assessment in which interior/exterior inspections are made of every neighborhood in the District.

“We are always working to improve the accuracy of our assessment process,” said Deputy Chief Financial Officer Keith J. Richardson. “These inspections allow us to validate our assessment data and maintain an equitable property tax system for the District.”

When inspecting a property, an assessor is required to present credentials that identify him/her as a representative of OTR. The credentials consist of an identification passbook, which includes the signature of the deputy CFO, and a numbered badge. If citizens wish to confirm the assessor’s identity, they should call OTR’s Real Property Assessment division at (202) 442-6760. Residents can refuse entry and not allow appraisers inside their homes. If a resident refuses entry the value of the interior will be estimated by the appraiser.

If the property owner is not available at the time of the inspection, the assessor will only inspect the exterior property. An interior inspection will be conducted only when an adult is present and the inspector is given permission to enter the home. If the property owner is not available at the time of inspection, the assessor will leave a note with contact information should the property owner have any questions.