Homes in parts of Port Chester, Rye Brook and Mamaroneck will be visited over the next two months by inspectors who are updating assessment data for the Town of Rye.
The town-wide inspection effort, the first since 1967, began last year with a review of commercial properties. Data collectors from Vision Government Solutions will spend about 15-20 minutes checking the number of floors, bedrooms and bathrooms in a building and the type of construction materials. They will also measure the perimeter of each structure. The inspectors will not take photos inside or collect information on personal belongings or furniture, town officials said.
“The goal here is to inspect all the homes in the Town of Rye over a six-year period,” town Assessor Mitchell Markowitz said. “The intent is to improve upon the existing data, upon which valuations are estimated.”
Rye town assesses properties at full market value, and updates the data each year. The town collects property tax in the villages of Port Chester, Rye Brook and part of Mamaroneck.
Scarsdale and the Town of Mamaroneck are performing similar inspections, and Bronxville and Pelham completed the process recently, Markowitz said.
The effort has raised questions among residents, including one who told Port Chester trustees that many people will be unwilling to open their door to an inspection. Markowitz said residents have a right to say no, but that the intent is to get the most accurate information possible for tax purposes.
About 1,600 homes will be visited in the first round this year, including the area from Lincoln Avenue in Rye Brook over to North Regent and King streets in Port Chester. To see a map of the initial zone and get more information, see the Rye Town assessment office website.
