DOF refused my tax abatement

Hi Everyone, I have an issue with my tax abatement, and I'd really appreciate any advice you all have. I've owned a co-op in Sunnyside, Queens for the last four years. All apartments in my building receive a property tax abatement each year, and I did too for the first three. I, however, did not receive one last year because the Department of Finance now believes my apartment is ineligible. I... [more]

Hi Everyone, I have an issue with my tax abatement, and I'd really appreciate any advice you all have. I've owned a co-op in Sunnyside, Queens for the last four years. All apartments in my building receive a property tax abatement each year, and I did too for the first three. I, however, did not receive one last year because the Department of Finance now believes my apartment is ineligible. I discovered this last May when I received a maintenance bill that was twice the normal monthly amount. After I received that bill, the first thing I did was email my building's management company. They informed me that the Department of Finance now believes my apartment is a sponsor unit and therefore is ineligible for the tax abatement. This is odd considering that since my building went co-op, my apartment was never a sponsor unit. I have no idea why the DOF would suddenly believe otherwise. But regardless, my management company said that they were working on resolving the issue, and they submitted paperwork to the Department of Finance to have my apartment's status corrected. I waited patiently for six months, but the DOF rejected the management company's request. So, I reached out to the DOF directly via nyc.gov/311. I had to open five cases, but finally, the last one got through, and the DOF responded. They informed me that my unit was a sponsor unit and I’m ineligible for the tax abatement. (Duh, that's why I contacted you.) I then informed the DOF that my unit has never been a sponsor unit, and I can provide the proprietary lease, stock certificate and any other document necessary to prove this. In their response, they informed me that, if I want my apartment's status changed, my building's management company would have to submit the appropriate paperwork. As I said before, my management company has already submitted the paperwork, and it was rejected, so I'm at a loss as to what I should do next. Should I get a lawyer involved? Should I take the Department of Finance to small claims court? Or, should I simply suck it up and pay the additional taxes? Thanks for reading this. [less]